President William Ruto has ordered all county governors to make sure that every public health facility within their counties is registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The president gave this directive during a meeting with county leaders on Thursday, June 5, highlighting that registration is vital for these facilities to receive timely reimbursements from the government’s new health insurance scheme.
According to President Ruto, many public hospitals have not yet been registered, making it difficult for citizens to fully benefit from the government-backed medical coverage.
He stressed that private health facilities have already registered in large numbers, while public ones are lagging behind—an issue that undermines equitable access to healthcare.
“We still have a large number of public hospitals that haven’t registered. Unlike private facilities, they’re missing out on receiving government funds.
If your facility isn’t registered, you simply don’t get the money,” the President explained.
He further instructed governors to set specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for their County Executive Committee Members (CECs) and Chief Officers (COs) to track and ensure full registration of all eligible health facilities.
The directive is part of the broader effort to streamline the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through SHA.
“Governors, I’m urging you to direct your CECs and COs, and give them KPIs to guarantee that every health facility in your county is registered under SHA,” he stated.
This announcement comes shortly after President Ruto launched a new payment scheme called “Lipa SHA Polepole” on Madaraka Day, Sunday, June 1.
This plan is aimed at helping Kenyans in the informal sector, who often face challenges with making lump sum payments for health insurance.
With the new approach, citizens can now pay their SHA premiums in smaller, more manageable instalments—whether monthly, weekly, or even daily—depending on their financial capacity.
The idea is to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for families who work outside of the formal employment structure.
“To deal with the issue of irregular premium payments, especially among Kenyans in informal jobs, the government is rolling out a flexible payment system called Lipa SHA Polepole,” Ruto said.
“This will let people make their annual SHA contributions in a way that suits them best—monthly, weekly, or even daily,” he added.
Just days before this, the World Bank released a report on Tuesday, May 27, recommending a reassessment of how the SHA program is being rolled out and financed.
The international lender advised the government to exempt low-income earners in the formal sector from SHIF (Social Health Insurance Fund) contributions and fully cover their premiums to reduce the burden on vulnerable groups.
As of May 13, 2025, more than 22 million Kenyans had already registered under SHA, according to Dr. Ouma Oluga, the Principal Secretary for Medical Services.
This shows significant uptake of the new system, although more work remains to ensure full coverage and effective service delivery across the country.
Join Gen Z New WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
