The government has dismissed claims that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will collapse or shut down within six months, saying the national health system is stable, funded, and expanding.
The claims originated from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday, March 29, 2026, while addressing congregants at the ACK Diocese of Kirinyaga in Ndia Constituency.
Speaking on the status of the new health financing model, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale said SHA has been in operation for 19 months and continues to register strong growth in membership, collections, and payments to health facilities across the country.
The Cabinet Secretary said claims that SHA would shut down are not supported by the facts, pointing to the scale of funds collected and disbursed since the authority began operations.
“As of today, more than 30 million Kenyans have registered with the Social Health Authority, and thousands more are still continuing to sign up daily,” he stated.
Govt Denies SHA Shutdown Claims
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claimed that he had information from his sources that SHA will collapse in about 6 months, and the Kenyan health sector will be thrown into crisis.
“Currently, our hospitals, especially the faith-based hospital, are owed more than Ksh 90 billion and almost shutting down. If SHA collapses, all our hospitals will be closed and we will have a big crisis. Our hospitals should demand the Ksh 90 billion owed before renderring any more services moving forward,” Gachagua stated.
According to CS Duale, 30.19 million people are already on the system, with more than 12,000 new registrations recorded in a single day recently.
CS Duale stated that claims that SHA would shut down are unsupported by facts, citing the amount of funds collected and disbursed since the authority started operations.
According to the Ministry of Health, SHA has collected Ksh156 billion over the past 19 months.
Of this total, Ksh115 billion was from the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), Ksh19.8 billion from Primary Health Care contributions, Ksh12 billion from civil servants and teachers, and Ksh8.3 billion from the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund.
Also Read: KUCCPS Re-Opens KMTC Second Revision; How to Apply
During the same period, the government has paid Ksh121 billion to health facilities across the country.
Duale said the payments have been made to public, private, and faith-based hospitals, services, and clinics.
Duale Expresses Confidence in Kenya’s Health Sector
The Health CS reported that, under SHIF alone, health facilities have received Ksh 97 billion.
Civil servant and teacher medical schemes have been paid Ksh3.5 billion, while Ksh1.4 billion has been allocated to emergency, chronic, and critical illness cases.
The government has also allocated Ksh19 billion directly to primary health care services.
“These numbers show a system that is working, not one that is collapsing,” Duale said.
CS Duale stressed that primary health care services under the SHA are free at the point of use.
He said Kenyans can walk into dispensaries, health centers, or sub-county hospitals and receive treatment without paying, with the government settling the bills.
Also Read: Man with One Year Remaining in Jail Receives Life Sentence After Appeal
He reported that more than 8.7 million visits have already been made under the primary health care programme, all provided free of charge.
Duale described primary health care as one of the most transformative changes in the health sector, noting that maternity services have also been strengthened.
He said teenage mothers and other expectant women can now deliver in public health facilities without being charged.
To support deliveries in remote areas, Duale reported that the government has set aside an additional Ksh2 billion in supplementary funding to ensure facilities are paid for maternity services.
The Health CS said SHA is central to the government’s plan to achieve universal health coverage and protect families from high medical costs.
He said the authority was designed to pool funds, spread risk, and ensure that money collected is paid back to health facilities in a timely manner.
“We are collecting more than we are paying out, and we are paying consistently. That is not a system that is about to shut down,” Duale said.
He concluded by urging Kenyans to ignore misinformation and instead focus on registering and using the services.
Duale also assured health workers and facility owners that payments will continue as scheduled.
