- COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has demanded that the Social Health Authority (SHA) be granted full control of its IT systems.
- He warned that continued interference from the Ministry of Health risks eroding workers’ trust in the new health scheme.
- Atwoli further hinted that COTU could withdraw from the SHA Board if the matter is not resolved urgently.
In a strongly-worded statement, Atwoli accused the Ministry of Health of holding on to critical systems meant to be run by SHA.
“Unless SHA is given 100% control of its IT platform, workers will lose the faith and trust they have in the institution and this will affect compliance and provision of services,” he said.
The trade union boss added that COTU has already raised the matter at board level, but will not hesitate to take drastic measures if the stalemate continues.
“We are currently contemplating whether to continue sitting on a Board that has no authority or to withdraw entirely,” he added, revealing plans to convene a meeting at Tom Mboya Labour College to deliberate on the union’s participation in the SHA Board.
The standoff comes a day after Sidian Bank issued a clarification on its involvement in SHA remittances following reports linking it to fund management.
In its statement dated Tuesday, August 26, the lender emphasized that it is only one of six Central Bank–appointed institutions handling collections, alongside KCB, Co-op, Equity, Absa, and DTB.
“Sidian Bank only facilitates collections, remitting directly to SHA accounts. We do not hold or manage SHA funds,” the bank clarified.
The bank stressed its role is limited to collections and forwarding contributions, not controlling or managing the scheme’s money.
