Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has admitted she once spread lies about the government’s Social Health Authority (SHA) to align with opposition tactics, and is now urging her Mt. Kenya constituents to register for the program she claims is working.

In a passionate statement directed at the Mount Kenya region, the now-UDA allied legislator said she and others were “brainwashed” by former allies into believing SHA was dysfunctional. She declared she has since left that fold, having realized she was not honest with the public.

“Watu wa Mlima, we were brainwashed that SHA is not working. I was one of them. I realized I was not honest with you, and I left.” Wamuchomba stated.

According to Wamuchomba, her shift in stance instantly made her a “mole” in the eyes of her former opposition colleagues.

She now asserts that the narrative pushed by the “WANTAM brigaders” is a political “scam” designed to keep voters desperate and loyal until the 2027 elections.

“Other parts of Kenya are registered and have services paid for. You are left desperate for every opportunity to cater for your sick with fundraisers daily,” she argued.

According to her, the Mt. Kenya region is missing out on essential services due to a politicized boycott. She accused opposition leaders of hypocrisy.

“All their MPs and Senators have updated accounts in SHA while telling supporters to wait for a new government in 2027,” she added.

Her defence of SHA comes as the authority, which replaced the NHIF in 2024, faces severe operational challenges.

While it has enrolled over 20 million Kenyans and offers primary health screenings for conditions like diabetes and hypertension, it is also mired in a KSh 11 billion ghost claims scandal and widespread reports of delayed reimbursements to hospitals, which have led to service denials and over 1,000 facility closures.

Wamuchomba has, however, emphasized the immediacy of access it offers.

“Fact, SHA is working… Primary health care is your right, whether you like President Ruto or not,” she said.

The legislator has called the opposition’s stance an “empty dream” that asks citizens to halt their lives until the next polls.