President William Ruto says the government will not pay the Sh30 billion debt claimed by the National Health Insurance Fund unless every claim is verified.

Speaking at St Peter’s ACK Cathedral in Siaya County, Ruto said the transition from NHIF to the new Social Health Authority had exposed widespread fraud in hospital claims.

 He questioned why some hospitals had gone to court to block verification, alleging they feared exposure of fraudulent billing.

“We are not going to pay unless we verify, because we are not going to use public funds to pay corrupt people,” Ruto said.

The NHIF, which is being phased out, has faced years of corruption scandals involving questionable claims, inflated procurement and weak oversight.

Auditor-General reports have repeatedly flagged irregularities, prompting calls for a complete overhaul of the health insurance system.

Ruto said SHA’s digital reforms were designed to detect fraud and ensure accountability.

He warned that any hospital found to have stolen from NHIF would face legal action, and that similar conduct under SHA would be punished.

He also defended the rollout of e-procurement in government, calling it key to ending inflated pricing. He accused some procurement and accounting officers of resisting the system to protect corrupt deals.

“Something that costs Sh2 has been sold to us at Sh10. That era is ending,” Ruto said, adding that those opposed to the reforms should leave government service.

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said a preliminary review in six counties had revealed systemic theft by hospitals, with some taking money without offering services.

He urged accounting officers to reject pressure from procurement staff seeking to preserve corrupt practices.

Ruto said the anti-corruption drive would target all arms of government and vowed to resist intimidation, insisting that public funds must be spent prudently.