Government to Enrol Poor Households Under SHA Medical Cover

The government has unveiled a plan to extend the Social Health Assurance (SHA) medical cover to poor households across the country.

This initiative was announced during a meeting on January 15, 2025, between the Principal Secretaries of the 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡 𝐌 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢 and his 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 counterpart 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐦𝐭𝐚𝐢.

In a bid to assist vulnerable populations, the government has allocated Ksh 950 million in the current financial year to cover households unable to afford the premiums required for the SHA medical plan.

The State Department for Social Protection will leverage its existing databases, including the Social Registry and the Inua Jamii cash transfer program, to identify the poorest households across Kenya.

The Social Registry currently includes over 4.4 million households, while the Inua Jamii program supports more than 1.75 million beneficiaries.

These households will be selected for the SHA medical cover after their information is validated by the SHA.

Once implemented, the medical cover will be available to qualifying households for a duration of 12 months.

This move is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable communities.