Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale appeared before the Senate to update members on Kenya’s progress in maternal and child health, alongside reforms within the Social Health Authority (SHA). The session, chaired by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, focused on how the government is improving access to quality healthcare through the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
The CS highlighted that the new SHIF model replaces the previous narrow maternal focus with a more comprehensive household coverage approach under the Linda Jamii Scheme. To enhance service delivery, reimbursement rates have been increased from KES 2,500 to KES 10,000 for normal deliveries and from KES 17,000 to KES 30,000 for caesarean sections. Additionally, pregnant adolescents and newborns can now access maternal services through temporary identification numbers. Over 22,000 teenage mothers have benefited from this inclusive approach to date.
Duale emphasized the government’s continued commitment to making maternal health a top national priority through an integrated approach that safeguards women’s health before, during, and after pregnancy. He also detailed efforts to strengthen financial integrity and accountability within the SHA, noting that a forensic review and digital audit system has been launched to detect irregularities and curb misuse of funds.
To reinforce accountability, 1,188 case files linked to fraud have been forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), while over 1,000 facilities found complicit in malpractice have been closed. A structured recovery plan is underway to reclaim lost funds and ensure compliance across the sector.
The Ministry is also working to clear debts inherited from the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), prioritizing payments worth KES 5.3 billion to smaller healthcare providers. Duale added that these reforms align with the government’s broader Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), supported by ongoing improvements in health human resources and infrastructure.
