According to data from the county SHA office, only 167,900 residents — just 18.5 per cent of the county’s population — have enrolled in the scheme
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims officials Garissa branch have refuted claims that religious leaders are frustrating Social Health Authority registration.
On Wednesday, Garissa county commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo criticised a section of the clergy, accusing them of spreading misinformation about the Social Health Insurance Fund and discouraging residents from registering.
Mwabudzo said the government had made significant strides in setting up the infrastructure for universal health coverage, only for some religious leaders to undermine the initiative with unfounded claims.
“This is a government health insurance programme, where you contribute a small amount so that you can access free treatment in hospitals. I don’t understand where the issue of interest comes in,” Mwabudzo said.
“There are sheikhs opposing the fund. I am a Muslim, and I see no form of interest [riba] in SHA. Let’s stop invoking religion where it doesn’t apply and allow people to benefit from health services through this cover.”
However, in a statement read to the press at their Garissa offices, the branch chairperson Sheikh Hassan Abdi said none of their religious leaders have condemned SHA.
He said Islamic scholars have only emphasised that the public scheme prevent harm and serve societal needs fall under the concept of Maslaha.
“As Supkem, we have worked with different stakeholders to create awareness on the same. It is unfortunate to learn that some government officials are making wild accusations instead of providing a platform for engagement,” Sheikh Hassan said.
“For the record, as Supkem, we have no single religious leader who has condemned SHA. SHA is a health intervention, and Islam welcomes any intervention that helps the community. Islam promotes and protects human life,” the statement said.
Abdi said that SHA is permissible in Islam because it is managed by the state and not a profit-driven but aimed at protecting lives, which is a core principle of their faith.
“Any stakeholder who is serious about promoting government policies should provide the correct platform that can offer wider consultation. Let us avoid street talk and provide misinformation on important national issues like SHA,” he said.
Despite a nationwide rollout of the programme, uptake in Garissa remains alarmingly low. According to data from the county SHA office, only 167,900 residents — just 18.5 per cent of the county’s population — have enrolled in the scheme.
Other factors contributing to the low enrolment include the nomadic lifestyle of many residents, limited access to information, lack of identification documents and poor network coverage in remote areas.
SHA county manager Ahmed Mohamed, speaking separately, attributed the slow registration to insufficient sensitisation.
He called for coordinated efforts between the county government, which oversees community health promoters and the National Government Administrative Officers to intensify awareness campaigns and drive enrollment.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, during a recent visit to Wajir, expressed similar concerns.
“As a region, we are not doing very well,” he said. “We need all stakeholders — national government administrators, community health promoters, religious leaders, civil society, and elders — to join hands, raise awareness and support the registration drive.”
