UDA nominated Senator Hon. Tabitha Mutinda has reaffirmed that the Social Health Authority (SHA) is functioning effectively, despite a few challenges in the reimbursement process, challenges she says are largely due to errors originating from hospitals rather than entirely the Authority itself.

Speaking during a live interview on Akamba FM’s morning show on Wednesday, Senator Mutinda, who serves as a member on the Senate Standing Committee on Health, defended the SHA against claims of delayed hospital payments and high claim rejection rates. She clarified that most delays result from incomplete or improperly filled claim forms submitted by health facilities. “When we summoned the Health Cabinet Secretary to explain the delays in reimbursements, we learned that many hospitals submit documents with errors or missing details. Some even appear suspicious, leading to higher rejection rates,” Senator Mutinda said.

She emphasized that the government is taking decisive steps to streamline the reimbursement process and ensure timely, predictable cash flows for health service providers. At the same time, she urged hospitals to establish dedicated departments responsible for correctly filling and verifying claim documents before submission to avoid unnecessary rejections.

“Some claims lack signatures, have incorrect patient information, or come with incomplete medical records. Others are delayed simply because providers take too long to resubmit missing documents,” she explained.

According to the Ministry of Health, the current claims settlement rate across all facilities stands at 59%, with faith-based hospitals leading at 64.56%, followed by national referral hospitals (61.71%), county government hospitals (59.62%), and private facilities (56.55%).

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Senator Mutinda, who also serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget, has been a strong advocate for increased county government allocations, particularly to strengthen the healthcare sector.

Beyond health matters, Senator Mutinda lauded President William Ruto’s development agenda in the Ukambani region. She highlighted key projects underway under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), including infrastructure upgrades, water projects, modern markets, and affordable housing developments.

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Among these, she mentioned the already completed 10,000-seater Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui, the ongoing tarmacking of long-neglected key roads across the three Ukambani counties, water projects like (Thwake Dam, High Grand Falls) and the rollout of affordable housing projects and Housing units near universities and colleges among others.

During this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations held on October 20th at Ithookwe Stadium, President Ruto reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Ukambani is no longer left behind in national development efforts.

Senator Tabitha Mutinda, is widely recognised for her unwavering commitment to youth and women empowerment initiatives both in Nairobi and across the country, continues to be a key voice in national discourse.

She has publicly declared her intention to vie for the Nairobi County Woman Representative position in the upcoming 2027 general elections.

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