SHA Membership Doubles as Government Expands Health Cover to 32.3 Million Kenyans
Kenyans Registering for SHA. (Photo / Courtesy)
By Caroline Katana
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
More than 32 million Kenyans are now registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA) nearly twice the highest membership recorded by the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) as the government continues to expand access to healthcare services.
According to the authority’s chief executive officer (CEO) Mercy Mwangangi 32.3 million Kenyans had registered with the authority by August 18, 2026.
Mwangangi made the remarks during the National Health Summit in Nairobi where she presented progress made by SHA since it replaced NHIF.
The authority’s membership has risen significantly from the 16.9 million people who represented NHIF’s highest recorded registration.
The number of healthcare facilities available to SHA members has also increased from 8,667 under NHIF to 10,713. The facilities include 5,959 government institutions, 4,534 private facilities and 541 faith-based health facilities.
The government says the expanded network is intended to give SHA members greater access to healthcare services across the country.
SHA has also reported an increase in the number of specialised procedures financed under the new health financing system.
The CEO said 501,839 surgeries had been facilitated through the authority within two years compared with 227,741 surgeries during a comparable period under NHIF.
The number of beneficiaries accessing renal care has risen from 8,831 under NHIF to 20,952 under SHA while approximately 50,000 cancer patients have received cover under the new system compared with 29,473 under NHIF.
Critical care has also been incorporated into SHA benefits, and according to her 28,031 beneficiaries had received ICU services financed through the authority, noting that ICU services were not covered by NHIF.
Primary healthcare has similarly recorded increased utilisation, with 9.3 million Kenyans benefiting from services under SHA, representing an increase of about 27 per cent compared with the period under NHIF.
Maternity services remain another major area of coverage, with SHA reporting that it has financed deliveries for 1.3 million mothers at a cost of Ksh17 billion.
Overall, she said Ksh178.5 billion had been paid through the authority’s various funds. The increase in SHA membership has continued throughout 2026.
In June, Treasury cabinet secretary John Mbadi reported that 31.22 million Kenyans had registered under SHA.
The figure has since increased to 32.3 million, according to Mwangangi.
The government has also continued to strengthen the system’s implementation and address operational issues that emerged during the transition from NHIF.
In January 2025, a technical interruption at Kenyatta National Hospital affected some administrative processes for more than 48 hours.
KNH acknowledged the interruption and subsequently directed its departments to ensure patients requiring critical services, including dialysis and cancer treatment, continued receiving care during system interruptions.
The government has also begun addressing outstanding financial obligations inherited from NHIF.
In July, Ksh4 billion was released to facilitate payment of verified NHIF claims of Ksh10 million and below owed to healthcare facilities.
SHA said the initial payment programme would benefit 3,527 healthcare facilities.
The authority is also seeking National Treasury support during the 2026/27 financial year to settle verified claims exceeding Ksh10 million involving 451 healthcare facilities.
Health cabinet secretary Aden Duale said in April that SHA had achieved a 74 per cent settlement rate in claims processing, with a target of completing payments within 90 days across different levels of care.
The government has at the same time taken measures to strengthen accountability in the health financing system.
In June 2025, Duale said 31 private hospitals had been shut down over alleged fraudulent activities involving the SHA Fund, including falsification of patient information, double claiming and billing patients and SHA for the same services.
The government is also extending SHA coverage to Community Health Promoters (CHPs), who play a key role in delivering primary healthcare services at community level.
President William Ruto announced on July 25 that all Community Health Promoters would be enrolled under SHA, with the national government allocating Ksh390 million to begin the process.
“I announce that the Government of Kenya, working with our counties, will make sure that every community health promoter has SHA as coverage,” the President said.
Speaking when he hosted a section of Nairobi County’s community health promoters, Ruto directed Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to facilitate the implementation of the programme.
The President said the government was prepared to allocate more than the initial Ksh390 million required for the onboarding of the workers.
“I would like to tell CS Aden Duale that we are ready to pay community health promoters more than Ksh390 million. I would like to ask for that money to be taken to SHA,” he said.
The expansion of SHA membership, healthcare facilities and the range of services being financed comes as the government continues to implement its health financing reforms aimed at increasing access to affordable healthcare.
With membership now at 32.3 million, the authority says the new system has reached a substantially larger population than the former NHIF while expanding financing for primary, specialised and critical healthcare services.
