The proposed Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) won’t survive after the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023 is put into effect, according to Narok Senator Ledama Olekina.

Olekina believes that the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) would be replaced by the SHIF, which will put additional financial obligations on Kenyans at the expense of inadequate healthcare services.

During a Monday panel discussion with Citizen TV, the lawmaker stated that the plan will be undermined by dishonest people and will need to face weeks of legal fights.

“All these pieces of legislation are sponsored by special interests, companies out there and you’ll find that some of the companies that will be given those contracts are associated with very senior politicians. We are behaving as if we live in a first world forgetting that we live in a dilapidated, corrupt environment in which we are led by sycophants. This will collapse, there will be a myriad of cases, people filing lawsuits on a daily basis,” said Olekina.

Silvanus Osoro, the Member of Parliament for South Mugirango and Chief Whip of the National Assembly, supported the plan on the same panel, claiming that it will assist equalize service provision in the health sector.

He also acknowledged that the program will have to contend with a greater challenge from underequipped hospitals, which could limit the successful implementation of the ambitious plan.

Employees on wages will contribute 2.75% of their monthly salary to the SHIF, while Kenyans without income must contribute at least Ksh. 300.

The High Court had blocked the Act’s implementation until the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court’s judgments on January 19.

Justice and explanations are now being sought by the family of a 31-year-old man who was allegedly beaten to death by the pastor and other Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) churchgoers in Homa Bay County.

On December 21, 2023, Bernard Otieno Anah was killed in Kagan village, Rangwe Constituency, on suspicion of stealing 8 kg of beans and maize, valued at around Ksh. 2,000, from the Rabondo SDA church during the Pathfinder Camporee of the West Kenya Union Conference.

His wife described how the local assistant chief and the church pastor, surrounded by their congregation, bombarded their home on that day, dragged the deceased outside, and then frog marched him to the house of worship.

She recounted that after being rendered unconscious by severe beatings, they brought him to a local marketplace, where he was ultimately put to death.

On January 18, 2024, Anah was buried at home. His relatives, led by his cousin, Dr. Davji Atellah, Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), promised to follow up on the case until justice had been served.

“It is imperative that we acknowledge the grave consequences of such actions. There is no evidence to suggest that mob injustice perpetrated by the church members effectively minimizes crimes in our villages. On the contrary, it perpetuates a cycle of violence and destruction

We strongly believe that our church leaders play a pivotal role in spreading messages of hope, protecting their buildings and places of worship, and fostering an environment of justice and harmony but not a place where any suspect is sent to heaven before their time. Additionally, local chiefs are tasked with restoring order and ensuring that our communities coexist peacefully,” said Dr. Atellah.

He added: “As we mourn Anah and bury him, we want to notify the authorities and those involved in the killing that we will pursue transformative justice, we will bring the accusers to the law and take the law to the community. Justice to Anah is justice to his wife, children, parents, and neighbours.”

A human head has been found, and police believe it to be that of the late Rita Waeni, a student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

The head was discovered in Kiambaa Dam in Kiambu County on Sunday night.

Pius Mwandhi, the commander of Kiambaa police, confirmed the occurrence to reporters present at the scene and stated that inquiries are still on.

On January 14, a 20-year-old Waeni’s disfigured body with her head gone was discovered in an apartment in Nairobi’s Roysambu area. The victim’s identification could not be immediately verified by the police.

The victim was Waeni, who had gone from her aunt’s home in Syokimau to see a friend, the family would later disclose.

The family released a statement on January 17th, stating that at approximately five in the morning on Sunday, her father got a message from her phone number requesting Ksh. 500,000 to be paid as a ransom within twenty-four hours in order to free the JKUAT student.

The student’s body parts were found inside a trash bag in the flat by the caretaker, who was about to start her fourth year of university.

Important witnesses have shown up at the Bungoma police station in Bungoma County in relation to the unexplained death of an Egerton University second-year student.

Francis Pepela, 23, was in Kanduyi watching an African Cup of Nations (AFCON) match at night when he passed away, according to his family.

Lazarus Pepela, the father of the deceased, says that he was informed that his son Francis had been struck by a trailer and had suffered brain injuries. He questioned the report.

Francis was a journalism student at that particular university.

Locals have protested the increase in security incidents in the neighborhood and have demanded that the offices act quickly.

In the meantime, an investigation has been started to determine what caused the death.