Universal health cover: 29 million Kenyans registered under SHA

NHIF covered a fraction of Kenyans, ran perennial deficits and was synonymous with claim fraud. Retiring it was politically costly and the transition was contested — but it was necessary.

What SHA has delivered

• More than 29 million Kenyans registered, the widest health coverage in Kenya's history.
• Contributions are means-tested, so the poorest households are covered by the Primary Healthcare Fund at no cost.
• An Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund covers what bankrupted families under NHIF — dialysis, oncology, ICU.
• SHA has been settling around Sh13 billion a month to hospitals, roughly what the defunct NHIF collected in half a year.

The President has been candid that the rollout had teething problems. The system was fixed rather than abandoned.