President William Ruto has announced that the government will cater for the Social Health Authority (SHA) registration of 1.5 million Kenyans starting next week.
In a tweet released on Tuesday, September 2, by the Head of Special Projects and Creative Economy at the Executive Office of the President, Dennis Itumbi, the beneficiaries have already been identified through government vetting mechanisms.
“We have identified 1.5 million Kenyans who cannot afford the SHA registration fee. The government will cover the cost for all of them and payment mechanisms will begin next week,” wrote Itumbi.
Although signing up for SHA is free, beneficiaries are required to make a minimum contribution of Ksh300 per month, paid as a one-off annual fee of Ksh3,600 — in order to access full health insurance benefits.
The announcement comes just days after President Ruto hinted that the state would fully cater for SHA contributions for needy households. At the time, he did not give a timeline but promised that the selection of beneficiaries would follow a strict and transparent identification process.
According to the Head of State, the move has been made possible through the mandatory 2.75 per cent SHA contributions collected from salaried Kenyans. Ruto described the system as “equitable,” allowing the government to channel part of the contributions toward supporting those unable to meet the cost.
The President has also issued firm directives to ensure Kenyans registered with SHA receive free healthcare at all Level 1 to Level 4 hospitals across the country. Speaking during a visit to Embu on June 6, Ruto stated that funds have already been disbursed to facilities to cover costs for patients.
“When you register with the authority, you should go to all hospitals at levels one to four, where you should not be charged anything. No one should ask you for anything, because we have already budgeted and disbursed the funds to hospitals, and we have directed them not to demand money from anyone,” he said.
He cautioned Kenyans against paying unnecessary charges in public facilities, adding that hospitals found demanding money from patients despite government funding would face sanctions.
“There are some hospitals that still ask for small amounts, such as Ksh200 and Ksh100. I want to tell Kenyans that before you make these payments, make sure that you tell us so that we can deal with them properly. We have already closed some hospitals because they are overcharging and lying to us,” he added.
The government’s intervention in covering SHA contributions is expected to ease the burden for vulnerable households and expand access to affordable healthcare across the country.
