A grieving Kericho family is appealing for urgent government intervention after an unresolved Social Health Authority (SHA) claim left them facing the possible sale of a family vehicle over an outstanding hospital bill of Sh514,600 following the death of their mother.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Valentine Chepkirui said they have spent more than a year seeking answers from both the Social Health Authority (SHA) and South Rift Hospital without success, leaving them trapped in a dispute they believe arose during the transition from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA.
"Our mum suffered from Lupus and was admitted to South Rift Hospital on October 15, 2024. She spent 15 days in hospital, including 11 days in the ICU, before she sadly went to be with the Lord," Chepkirui said.
She said the family was overwhelmed by the medical costs, with the total bill reaching approximately Sh1.5 million despite holding fundraisers during and after the hospitalisation.
"We organised a fundraiser while she was still admitted, but we only managed to raise less than Sh150,000. After she passed away, we had to organise another fundraiser to help cover both the hospital bill and funeral expenses," she said.
Documents seen by The Standard show that a Social Health Insurance claims form was completed for Nancy Koech, indicating she was admitted as an inpatient at South Rift Hospital between October 15 and October 30, 2024.
Hospital records further show that the amount expected to be claimed from SHA was Sh514,600.17, covering laboratory services, medicines, procedures, radiology, bed charges and admission costs.
According to Chepkirui, officials from the Kericho SHA office assessed the bill and informed the family that SHA would settle the Sh514,600.17 balance.
"South Rift Hospital informed us that they were unable to claim directly from SHA because of what they described as a system error during the transition from NHIF.
Manual SHA claim forms were then filled, but my mum's name was not appearing in the system," she said.
She added that the hospital later required the family to sign a debt agreement and surrender a vehicle logbook as security while awaiting payment from SHA.
"The hospital asked us to sign an agreement and leave my logbook as collateral. We were told the agreement would run for three months and that the collateral would be released once SHA disbursed the funds," Chepkurui said.
Hospital records dated February 27, 2025, indicate the family had paid Sh858,293, while the SHA rebate remained zero, leaving an outstanding balance of Sh514,600.17.
Chepkirui said the family made repeated follow-ups with both the Kericho SHA office and the national office but failed to get a solution.
"It became evident that there was a serious disconnect between the hospital, the SHA branch office and the national office. We were taken back and forth without a clear resolution until I personally became overwhelmed and gave up on the process in July 2025," she said.
The family's fears escalated after receiving a demand from advocates acting for the hospital, warning that legal action would be taken to recover the debt and that the vehicle offered as security could be sold.
"Two days ago, we woke up to a message sent to my sister demanding that we settle the bill immediately, failure to which my car would be sold. It has been endless trouble," Chepkirui said.
She appealed to the Ministry of Health, the Social Health Authority and political leaders to intervene and help resolve the matter.
"On behalf of my family, we have truly done our best, and we humbly ask to be allowed to mourn and heal in peace," she said.
Chepkirui added that the unresolved dispute had prolonged the family's grief.
"One year later, our hearts are still heavy from losing the pillar of our family. Mothers are the backbone of a family, and the pain of waking up every day without her is unbearable. As much as we are trying to heal, it has been impossible with this constant stumbling block in our path," she said.
The case is expected to renew debate over challenges experienced during the rollout of SHA, particularly claims processing during the transition from NHIF.
