NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 5 – Private hospitals have issued a 14-day go-slow notice to the government, demanding the immediate settlement of Sh33 billion owed by the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Sh43 billion in unpaid dues from its successor, the Social Health Authority (SHA).According to the Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA), healthcare providers are grappling with severe financial distress, warning that the unresolved arrears are pushing facilities towards collapse.“As of end of August 2025, healthcare providers had submitted Sh96.2 billion in claims. SHA has only paid Sh53 billion, leaving an outstanding obligation of Sh43 billion,” RUPHA said in a statement.The association noted that more than half of all claims from lower-level facilities remain unpaid, with general inpatient and surgical reimbursements recording payout ratios as low as 10–20 percent.Additionally, primary healthcare reimbursements have stalled in several counties, even as outpatient visits rise against a fixed global budget.RUPHA accused SHA of operating an unsustainable model, highlighting a monthly financing gap of up to Sh3.5 billion.The umbrella group faulted ongoing registration campaigns without corresponding contributions, arguing that hospitals are now “flooded by patients while facilities lack medicines, staff, and operating cash flow.”The debt crisis is compounded by NHIF liabilities, which RUPHA estimates at Sh33 billion.Among the largest public sector claimants are Kenyatta National Hospital (Sh1.58 billion), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (Sh1.23 billion), and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (Sh540 million).Likewise, RUPHA accused SHA of “blanket rejection” of valid claims, contrary to contractual provisions requiring feedback within 72 hours and rejection notices within 14 days.The association is also demanding the constitution of a dispute resolution tribunal and an end to what it termed as the arbitrary suspension and downgrading of facilities.RUPHA has given the government 14 days to meet its demands, including settling at least half of SHA’s Sh43 billion outstanding dues, failing which hospitals will scale down services.