Government to pay SHA for Kenyans who can’t afford

On 30 August 2025, President William Ruto announced that starting the following week, the government would pay SHA (Social Health Authority) contributions for vulnerable citizens who cannot afford health insurance, promising universal healthcare coverage through government subsidies.

In April 2025, the Ministry of Health was set to give standardised guidelines for the payment of money to cover vulnerable households in the implementation of Universal Health Coverage, committing to give the guidelines by April 28 2025. However, as of May 2026, there is still no public record of the guidelines having been prepared or implemented.
In March 2026, it was reported that the Government had spent 3.56 billion in the current financial year to cover health insurance premiums for some of the country’s poorest households, under a programme aimed at shielding vulnerable families from medical costs.
However, there have also been complaints and investigations showing that many poor Kenyans are still being charged contributions they cannot afford because of problems with the means-testing system used by SHA.

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Last updated: August 30, 2026 3:32 am