Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced that over 24.4 million Kenyans have enrolled in the Social Health Authority (SHA), a new national healthcare initiative aimed at delivering affordable and inclusive medical coverage. Duale made the announcement during a tour of King Fahad Hospital in Lamu County, where he revealed that 70,000 residents had registered in the region, including 21,000 on Thursday alone.
“SHA is working. Those making negative remarks don’t know what is going on. Here in Lamu, people have turned out and registered freely,” said Duale. He added that most Kenyans are voluntarily registering, a sign of increasing public confidence in the system.
The SHA, which replaces the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), is touted as a more inclusive and efficient model. According to Duale, the NHIF only served 20 out of every 100 employed Kenyans, whereas SHA is reaching a broader segment of the population, including informal sector workers and large families.
“I’m happy—it’s like SHA was made for Muslims. It covers four wives and an unlimited number of children, unlike NHIF which only covered one wife,” Duale remarked, highlighting SHA’s family-friendly approach.
The CS also announced plans to upgrade King Fahad Hospital to a Level 5 teaching and referral facility. An inspection team will be dispatched next week, with the aim of posting some of the 6,000 newly recruited intern doctors to Lamu. Duale also commissioned an oxygen plant and new private wards at the hospital.
Addressing healthcare integrity, Duale warned against fraudulent practices such as inflating hospital admissions to maximize claims. He singled out Kenyatta National Hospital for admitting more patients than its 1,800-bed capacity and promised reforms.
“It is my responsibility to clean up the healthcare sector, and I am ready to lose my job doing so,” he declared.
Duale also noted that the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) will soon begin nationwide distribution of medical supplies to support the SHA system.
The government’s SHA registration campaign continues, with upcoming outreach planned in Taita Taveta as part of the push for universal health coverage.
