Kenya: No, Kenyans.co.ke Didn't Publish Graphic Quoting Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen Ridiculing Kenyans Over Social Health Authority

27 August 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

IN SHORT: A graphic quoting interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen as ridiculing Kenyans over the state health insurer, the Social Health Authority, is going viral online. However, it is fabricated.

A graphic attributing a quote to Kenya's interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen is circulating on social media. In it, he appears to ridicule Kenyans over claims that the Social Health Authority (SHA), the state health insurer, is not working.

"If you know SHA isn't working, why get sick," he is quoted as saying.

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It features the logo of Kenyans.co.ke, suggesting that the Kenyan news outlet published it.

The Social Health Authority was launched in October 2024 to replace the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) as the state health insurer. SHA is responsible for paying the costs of health facilities for those enrolled in the scheme. It is one of the flagship projects of president William Ruto's government.

There are mixed reactions over the reliability of the health scheme. The system has faced problems, including unclear benefits, recurring technical failures and accusations of non-payment by some health facilities.

Ruto appointed Murkomen to the position in December 2024. He had previously led the ministries of roads and transport, and youth affairs, creative economy and sports. He has been accused of making reckless remarks before.

The graphic has been posted widely, but can it be trusted? We checked.

Fake graphic

Local media have previously reported on what they described as controversial remarks by Murkomen. Had he made the comment attributed to him in the graphic, the media would have criticised him. The statement would've also sparked debate on social media and drawn reactions from other political leaders. However, no reliable sources have reported them.

Kenyans.co.ke often posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X. Africa Check searched these accounts and found the original graphic quoting Murkomen, which the news site posted on 12 August 2026.

It reads: "Rigathi Gachagua will exploit anything under the sun to resuscitate a failed political career. You've made it your business to fight me for relevance. I can live with that. But using the death of Ng'eno to score cheap political attention ahead of your visit to Emurua-Dikirr is both pathetic and unfortunate."

The graphic circulating online is fake, and the quote is fabricated.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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