Kenya Minute.
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
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Kenyan press · Organization

Social Health Insurance Fund

Also known as: SHIF · SHA/SHIF

Social Health Insurance Fund — health financing mechanism accounting for Sh7.25 billion of SHA's May 2026 disbursements to healthcare providers.

2026-04-262026-07-22

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. July 2026
  2. Citizen Digital

    Discussions centred on the local manufacture and assembly of affordable, quality wheelchairs, easing taxation on wheelchair components to lower production costs, strengthening the Social Health Insurance Fund benefits package, reducing disability-related stigma, and improving coo

    Health Ministry moves to set up government-led wheelchair service as unmet need hits 550,000
  3. Capital News

    The Commission also ordered the disclosure of payments made by the Social Health Authority and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHA/SHIF) to hospitals from 2025 to the date of the ruling.

    Ombudsman Orders Release of NHIF, SHA Hospital Payment Records Within 21 Days
  4. The Standard

    SHA, has premiums capped at 2.75 percent of earnings, with individuals in private sector too expected to undergo means testing to determine their annual premiums to Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).

    Dr Lishenga quits as RUPHA chair after taking on SHA leadership
  5. June 2026
  6. The Standard

    's digital transformation agenda in healthcare is placing patients at the centre of service delivery through the Afyangu patient portal.According to Dr Wamicwe, the platform allows Kenyans to register and securely access their health information, make Social Health Insurance Fund

    Experts back digitalisation in healthcare as key tool in achieving UHC
  7. Citizen Digital

    oola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-m', container: 'taboola-mid-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Mid Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' }); The amendments exempted employee contributions to the Affordable Housing Levy (AHL) Fund and the Social Health Insurance Fund

    TSC explains increased PAYE deductions in June payroll
  8. Citizen Digital

    oola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-m', container: 'taboola-mid-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Mid Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' }); The amendments exempted employee contributions to the Affordable Housing Levy (AHL) Fund and the Social Health Insurance Fund

    TSC explains increased PAYE deductions in June payroll
  9. The Standard

    The suspension, which took effect on June 23, 2026, was announced by SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi and affects services provided under the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHCF), Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF), and

    MP Shah: We will cooperate with SHA billing probe
  10. Citizen Digital

    technologies, are supporting improved care for SCD patients.As of 8 June 2026, 31.39 million Kenyans had registered with the Social Health Authority, with 9.01 million accessing services through the Primary Health Care Fund and 4.4 million through the Social Health Insurance Fund

    Gov't steps up fight against Sickle Cell disease through Taifa Care reforms
  11. The Standard

    county following the governor's remarks, with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale stepping in to defend the scheme.Duale said Garissa County alone had received more than Sh1.65 billion through SHA-linked programmes, including Sh1.264 billion under the Social Health Insurance Fund

    Garissa governor's Sh1,000 gesture puts SHA under spotlight
  12. Capital News

    The trustees insist they have no involvement in the operations or financing of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the Social Health Authority (SHA), or other healthcare financing mechanisms challenged in the constitutional case.

    PSSF Trustees Seek Removal From Constitutional Petition Challenging Public Servants’ Benefits Framework

Wednesday 15 July

  1. Kenya plans government wheelchair service for 550,000 unmet needs

    The Ministry of Health is establishing a government-led wheelchair service delivery system to address Kenya's estimated unmet need of about 550,000 wheelchairs. The Principal Secretary for Medical Services chaired a consultative meeting with service providers, manufacturers, and partners to explore local manufacture, tax relief on components, and improved coordination.

    15 July 2026 · Citizen Digital

Friday 10 July

  1. Ombudsman orders NHIF and SHA hospital payment records released

    The Commission on Administrative Justice has ordered the Social Health Authority to disclose disaggregated payment records made to hospitals under the defunct NHIF between 2018 and 2024, and SHA/SHIF payments from 2025 onwards, citing constitutional right to information. The agency has 21 days to comply or face criminal prosecution recommendations.

    10 July 2026 · Capital News

Thursday 2 July

  1. RUPHA chairman resigns citing hostile ties with health ministry

    Dr Brian Lishenga has stepped down as chairman of the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya, citing an increasingly hostile working relationship with the Ministry of Health and the Social Health Authority. Lishenga said the relationship has deteriorated to a point where meaningful engagement on issues affecting private healthcare providers and SHA payments is no longer possible.

    2 July 2026 · The Standard

Thursday 25 June

  1. Health experts advocate digitalisation to strengthen Kenya's healthcare delivery

    Experts speaking at a national community systems strengthening event in Naivasha say digital technologies and data-driven systems are critical to improving healthcare delivery and achieving Universal Health Coverage in Kenya. The Digital Health Agency is implementing the Afyangu patient portal, which allows Kenyans to register, access health information, make SHIF contributions, and obtain services across health facilities.

    25 June 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 24 June

  1. TSC corrects duplicate NSSF tax relief in June payroll

    The Teachers Service Commission has attributed increased PAYE deductions in June 2026 to a correction of an anomaly in the payroll system where teachers had been benefiting from duplicate tax relief on NSSF contributions. The anomaly arose during reconfiguration of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database system to implement tax exemptions for Affordable Housing Levy and Social Health Insurance Fund contributions under the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2024.

    24 June 2026 · Citizen Digital

  2. TSC corrects duplicate NSSF tax relief in June payroll

    The Teachers Service Commission attributed increased PAYE deductions in June 2026 to correcting an anomaly where teachers had benefited from duplicate tax relief on National Social Security Fund contributions during a payroll system reconfiguration to implement new tax exemptions for housing and health levies.

    24 June 2026 · Citizen Digital

  3. MP Shah Hospital suspended pending SHA billing investigation

    M.P. Shah Hospital has been temporarily suspended from offering services under government-funded health insurance schemes following billing complaints, effective June 23, 2026. The hospital said it will cooperate with the Social Health Authority's investigation.

    24 June 2026 · The Standard

Saturday 20 June

  1. Government strengthens sickle cell care through Taifa Care reforms

    The government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term care for people with Sickle Cell Disease through ongoing Taifa Care reforms that strengthen access to quality healthcare. The Principal Secretary for Medical Services said the reforms' four pillars—health financing, primary healthcare, digital health, and health products and technologies—support improved care for patients.

    20 June 2026 · Citizen Digital

Sunday 14 June

  1. Garissa governor's Sh1,000 gift sparks SHA healthcare debate

    A viral video of Garissa Governor Nathif Jama giving a sick woman Sh1,000 and criticizing the Social Health Authority (SHA) framework has reignited debate over the scheme's reach in the county. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale defended SHA, noting Garissa County has received over Sh1.65 billion through SHA-linked programmes, while the Confraternity of Patients Kenya criticized the state of healthcare in the county.

    14 June 2026 · The Standard

Saturday 6 June

  1. PSSF trustees seek removal from healthcare financing constitutional petition

    The Public Service Superannuation Fund and its Board of Trustees are asking to be removed from a constitutional petition, arguing their mandate is limited to managing pension, gratuity, retirement, disability and death benefits for public servants, and they have no involvement in healthcare financing systems like SHIF or SHA.

    6 June 2026 · Capital News

Wednesday 3 June

  1. Kenya faces cataract surgery backlog, vision crisis threat

    The Ministry of Health warns that Kenya is experiencing a growing vision crisis, with an estimated 77 per cent of patients on the cataract surgery backlog in 2025 projected to die before receiving treatment. Between 2025 and 2029, four people are expected to die without cataract surgery for every one patient treated, according to findings published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

    3 June 2026 · The Standard

Tuesday 2 June

  1. Wanjigi pledges to abolish SHA, scrap VAT, reject odious debt

    Safina Party leader and 2027 presidential hopeful Jimi Wanjigi vowed during a town hall in Mombasa to abolish the Social Health Authority, remove Value Added Tax, introduce free education from primary to TVET level, and refuse to honour what he described as illegitimate public debt acquired outside proper budgeting processes.

    2 June 2026 · Citizen Digital

Sunday 31 May

  1. SHA disburses Sh12.7 billion to healthcare providers

    The Social Health Authority paid Sh12.74 billion to healthcare providers in May, with the Social Health Insurance Fund accounting for Sh7.25 billion of the total. Facilities rely on these reimbursements to fund operations, procure medicines, and settle supplier obligations.

    31 May 2026 · Capital News

Monday 18 May

  1. Africa's maternal mortality crisis driven by accountability gaps, not knowledge

    Despite decades of medical progress and available tools to prevent deaths, women across Africa continue to die from preventable pregnancy and childbirth complications. Experts argue the crisis stems from gaps in leadership, coordination, and accountability rather than a lack of medical knowledge, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the majority of the estimated 260,000 global maternal deaths in 2023.

    18 May 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 13 May

  1. Ministry seeks Sh2.3 billion for expired CHP kits

    Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has told Parliament that approximately 102,000 Community Health Promoters are carrying expired kits that should be replaced every two years, and the Ministry of Health is urgently seeking Sh2.3 billion to replace them.

    13 May 2026 · The Standard

Thursday 7 May

  1. Petition challenges legality of SHA, Digital Health systems

    A constitutional petition has been filed at the High Court in Kiambu by Francis Awino challenging the legality of the Social Health Authority, digital health systems and public officer medical schemes, alleging they operate outside the law and conduct insurance functions without statutory authorisation.

    7 May 2026 · Citizen Digital

Monday 4 May

  1. Security guards want regulator disbanded over pay enforcement

    Private security guards are calling for the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) to be disbanded, claiming it shields security firms from adhering to labour laws and has failed to enforce a Sh30,000 minimum wage gazetted in November 2024. Representatives of the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union and Protective Guards Association of Kenya say the 12 per cent wage increment announced by President William Ruto during Labour Day celebrations amounts to nothing without PSRA enforcement.

    4 May 2026 · The Standard

Monday 27 April

  1. Ruto urges Africa to boost domestic financing, local medical production

    President William Ruto called on African countries to ensure self-sufficiency in medical supplies and health commodities, emphasizing that Africa's health systems must be financed by both domestic and international capital and that the continent must become an active architect rather than passive participant in global health. He highlighted the need for a radical shift focusing on policy leadership, technology, and mobilisation of domestic resources.

    27 April 2026 · Citizen Digital

Sunday 26 April

  1. KHRC to sue UDA over Ksh69 million unpaid PAYE tax

    The Kenya Human Rights Commission says it will take legal action against the United Democratic Alliance over alleged tax evasion and misuse of public funds. According to the KHRC, an Auditor-General's report found that UDA paid over Ksh128 million in net salaries but failed to deduct and remit Ksh69 million in PAYE tax for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years, and also failed to pay other statutory deductions.

    26 April 2026 · Citizen Digital

Social Health Insurance Fund — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute