• This reform aimed to deliver timely, equitable, and accessible healthcare to all Kenyan citizens, including those at the grassroots level. 

In July 2024, the Kenya Kwanza government launched a major overhaul of the national health system by introducing the Social Health Authority (SHA), a new framework designed to replace the long-standing National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

This reform aimed to deliver timely, equitable, and accessible healthcare to all Kenyan citizens, including those at the grassroots level. SHA introduced three distinct funds—the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHF), and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF)—each targeting different aspects of medical care.

Health officials, including Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a critical step toward achieving universal health coverage, particularly for vulnerable populations.

However, despite its promising start, the system quickly faced challenges. By late 2024 and into 2025, complaints emerged regarding delayed reimbursements, inadequate benefit clarity, and system inefficiencies, raising concerns about SHA’s sustainability and credibility.

Civil servant unions began voicing doubts about the practicality of SHA, especially regarding its impact on their members.

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At a meeting held at Moi Gardens in Kericho on 20 September 2025, KUPPET Executive Secretary Mary Rotich urged SHA officials and government representatives to clarify benefit packages, including dental care, optometry, overseas evacuation, and access to private hospital wings for teachers.

She emphasized that support from the union would depend on the quality and transparency of the package. Similar concerns were raised a day earlier by Peter Bett, KUPPET Bomet Branch Vice Chair, who called for a detailed breakdown of SHA’s offerings, such as inpatient and outpatient services, optical and dental care, CDM clinics, maternity, fertility treatment, and associated costs.

These sentiments reflect growing uncertainty around SHA’s rollout and its perceived lack of public education and stakeholder engagement.

For SHA to succeed, it must expand its financial base, improve operational efficiency, and rebuild trust among citizens and healthcare workers. Without immediate reforms, SHA risks being remembered not as a groundbreaking solution, but as another rebranded health funding model that failed to deliver on its promise.

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