Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has alleged that a substantial financial incentive was offered to those who voted in favor of impeaching former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Speaking during a TV interview on Tuesday, March 4, Maanzo criticized the implementation of Universal Healthcare Coverage, using it as an example to highlight a major challenge affecting the Social Health Authority. He argued that the government’s struggles stem from lawmakers passing legislation under pressure rather than focusing on laws that genuinely serve the interests of ordinary Kenyans.
Pressed on whether he had ever been in a position where he had to take a bribe to endorse a bill, Maanzo cited the infamous Gachagua impeachment motion, claiming senators were offered Ksh4 million to oust the former DP.
“Regarding the Gachagua matter, there was such an approach, and it did not work. There were conditions,” Maanzo alleged. “It was an offer of KSh 4 million. The position was very clear, and in fact, they wanted a 100 per cent vote to impeach Gachagua.”
In October 2024, during the peak of Gachagua’s impeachment proceedings, 49 senators voted in favor of his removal, while 16 opposed it, and two abstained. Around the same period, Maanzo voiced his criticism of the government, alleging that there was no public participation in Makueni County. He claimed that the vote was overseen by a “county commissioner with guns” rather than the people.
Regarding the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), Maanzo maintained that bribery was the root cause of the challenges affecting the new healthcare system. “This culture of bribery in the House must end. We are running the country on bribes, which is why SHA and SHIF are facing problems,” he stated.
At the same time, SHA remains under scrutiny, with Auditor General Nancy Gathungu disclosing on Monday, March 3, that despite substantial public investment, the government neither owns nor controls the system.
“The ownership of the system, system components, and all intellectual property rights shall remain in the ownership of the consortium,” Gathungu noted in her audit report, adding that this raised concerns over the government’s authority and oversight of the SHA system.
On Tuesday, the Chairperson of the Presidential Council for Economic Advisors, David Ndii, issued a clarification, stating that despite outsourcing the current health system, no money had been spent on it.
Ndii added that the new SHA system would provide similar capability but for Ksh10 billion per year, which is equivalent to Ksh50 per hospital visit per individual.
