More than 23.6 million Kenyans have joined the Taifa Care programme since its rollout in October 2024, signaling a major leap toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Monday described the reforms as a “people-centered revolution” during a press briefing at Afya House, emphasizing the government’s commitment to affordable, accessible, and accountable healthcare.
Under the new Social Health Insurance Act of 2023, the Social Health Authority (SHA) is steering the transformation. So far, over 5.7 million Kenyans have already accessed services across public, private, and faith-based health facilities. Of these, 3.6 million received free treatment for common illnesses, while 2.1 million benefited from specialised care, including dialysis and cancer treatment.
“This is not just about expanding access—we’re cleaning up the system,” said CS Duale. The Ministry of Health has taken stern action against substandard healthcare by shutting down 728 non-compliant facilities and downgrading 301 others. A new digital tracking system has also been introduced to monitor patient visits and prescriptions in real-time, improving accountability and reducing fraud.
To support these efforts, the 2025/26 budget has allocated substantial funding: Sh6.2 billion for hiring UHC contract health workers, Sh4.2 billion for onboarding intern medics, and Sh3.2 billion for training community health promoters. An additional Sh13 billion is set aside for primary healthcare and Sh8 billion for managing emergency and chronic illnesses.
In a bid to promote equity, the government introduced the Lipa SHA Pole Pole plan—an income-based, interest-free payment model that allows informal sector workers to contribute affordably. Already, 1.8 million have signed up, outpacing previous NHIF records.
SHA has also streamlined payments to hospitals, now reimbursing facilities by the 14th of each month. Since October, Sh43.8 billion has been paid out, with Sh6.2 billion disbursed just last week.
Duale also announced partnerships with top private hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cost of specialised care. The price of the breast cancer drug Herceptin, for example, has dropped from Sh120,000 to Sh40,000 through a deal with Roche.
“We’re building a health system where a mama mboga no longer pays the same as a CEO,” Duale concluded. “This is fairness in action.”
