Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah on Tuesday filed a petition challenging the launch of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which was scheduled for October 1. Joined by Eliud Matindi and Magare Gikenyi, Omtatah seeks to halt the SHIF rollout, citing the lack of necessary subsidiary legislation to operationalize the Social Health Insurance Act, rendering its implementation unconstitutional.

In addition to opposing the SHIF launch, the petition also calls for the suspension and eventual nullification of the government's contract with three private entities tasked with providing the Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System for Universal Health Care.

This legal challenge adds to the mounting opposition against SHIF, which has faced scrutiny from various stakeholders. The rollout has also caused confusion among Kenyans, as evidenced by social media outcry following reports that patients, including those undergoing dialysis, may have to pay out-of-pocket due to the transition.

In response, Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Elijah Wachira assured hospitals that essential treatments like dialysis, cancer services, and maternity care would continue uninterrupted, even under the new scheme.

Private hospitals, meanwhile, remain in the dark, with no formal contracts offered by the government, further complicating the SHIF rollout.