Kisii coffin makers cry foul as SHA crackdown hits businesses hard

Coffin dealers who had been operating around private hospitals in Kisii County say their businesses have suffered a sharp and unexpected downturn following a government crackdown on suspected fraud linked to the Social Health Authority (SHA).

The sweeping enforcement action has dramatically reduced activity around several private health facilities, leaving traders who depended on hospital traffic struggling with dwindling customers and uncertain livelihoods.

Fruit vendors and food sellers are also reporting losses as the once-busy hospital surroundings fall quiet.

Some traders have already relocated their businesses, saying it could take time before affected facilities are re-chartered and allowed to resume operations under the SHA programme.

Among the most affected areas is Ogembo, where several coffin makers had established businesses along the roadside near Lenmek Hospital.

For years, the traders relied on a steady stream of orders from families arranging funerals after losing loved ones.

However, many say sales have dropped sharply in recent weeks.

Joseph Onchong’a, a specialised coffin maker, said he has been forced to change his trade after demand for coffins declined.

“Sales have gone down drastically. I could previously sell several coffins in a week, but now it is difficult to get even one order,” he said.

Onchong’a now makes sofa settees and other household furniture to support his family.

“Life has to continue. I cannot just sit and wait for customers who are no longer coming,” he added.

In Kisii Town, another coffin dealer operating outside Hema Hospital says the situation has become increasingly difficult.

Johnson Kerage said business has slowed significantly.

“I now sell only one coffin a week, and sometimes it even takes two weeks before I make a single sale,” he said.

He added that he may be forced to change businesses if the hospital is not allowed to resume operations under the SHA programme.

“If the hospital does not reopen fully, I may have to look for another way to earn a living,” he said.

Fruit vendors and food sellers who operate outside the hospitals say they are also experiencing losses due to the reduced number of visitors.

Jane Kerage, a fruit vendor, said relatives visiting patients previously bought fruits such as bananas and oranges to take to the wards.

“Before the crackdown, this place was always full of people visiting their relatives. Many of them would buy fruits on their way to the wards,” she said.

“Nowadays we can spend the whole day here and sell very little.”

She added that the situation has forced many vendors to reduce their stock.

“Sometimes fruits go bad because there are no customers. We end up throwing them away and making losses,” she said.

The effects are also being felt beyond individual traders.

In several areas, small shopping centres that had emerged around the hospitals are now experiencing low business as economic activity slows down.

Shop owners say the reduced number of patients, visitors and hospital staff has affected sales of basic goods and food items.

Meanwhile, the crackdown on suspected rogue hospitals has increased pressure on public health facilities, with more patients now seeking treatment at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, the county’s main public hospital.

Despite the financial losses, traders say they support the government’s efforts to eliminate fraud in the healthcare system.

However, they hope normal operations at the affected facilities will resume soon so businesses around them can recover.

“We understand the need to fight corruption,” said one fruit vendor.

“But we also depend on the activity around hospitals to survive.”