Kakamega County Senator Boni Khalwale has asked Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to review the current rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The senator said SHA must be aligned with the actual cost of medical care in the country if it is to benefit Kenyans.
Speaking on Saturday, April 19, 2025, Khalwale urged top health officials, including the Director of Medical Services and the Principal Secretary for Health, to present workable proposals to CS Duale on how to make SHA more effective.
He insisted that the success of SHA should not be measured by the number of people who have registered, but by the quality of services citizens receive.
“The beauty of SHA is not in people registering. The beauty of SHA will be seen in the good services that citizens will get from it,” he stated.
He also criticised CS Duale for ignoring the advice of healthcare professionals and urged him to be more receptive to expert input.
“I want to tell the Director of Medical Services and the PS for Health, go to the Health CS Aden Duale, ask him to reduce his arrogance and listen to you because you are the experts. Duale, I don’t know what he studied,” Khalwale remarked.
The senator offered to contribute to the ongoing discussions, saying his experience and seniority in the medical field could help improve the scheme.
“If there is a lack of ideas, I am your senior colleague. I’m a senior doctor who you ask me to contribute because SHA cannot help Kenyans in its current form,” he added.
Khalwale pointed out specific shortcomings in the SHA package, such as the provision for ICU coverage. According to him, SHA currently offers Ksh28,000 for ICU admission, an amount he said is far too little to cover the actual cost.
“They have stated that if you are in the ICU, SHA will pay Ksh28,000. That cannot help. An ICU bed costs Ksh150,000 and above. So, SHA must be aligned to take care of that ICU bill,” Khalwale stated.
SHA challenges
As of February 12, 2025, the Kenyan Ministry of Health reported that 19,340,978 individuals have registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Registration coverage is highest in Mombasa, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Bomet counties, exceeding 40%. Conversely, Turkana, West Pokot, Garissa, and Samburu counties have the lowest uptake.
Despite over 19 million Kenyans registered, only about 3.3 million are actively contributing to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which is essential for financing healthcare services. This low contribution rate, particularly among informal sector workers with irregular incomes, has led to disruptions in service delivery and patients being forced to pay out-of-pocket for treatments.