President William Ruto has announced that, on average, 50,000 Kenyans register on the Social Health Authority (SHA) healthcare system every day.
Speaking during the Third National Executive Retreat at the KCB Leadership Centre in Kajiado County on Thursday, June 19, 2025, he stated that 23 million Kenyans have registered on the system since its launch.
“As we speak, 23 million Kenyans have registered. And for your information, 50,000 register on SHA every day. We have had a high of 93,000 registered in a day. On weekdays, an average of 50,000; on weekends, it comes down to 30,000,” he stated.
The head of state attributed the increase in registration to the need for Kenyans to access health facilities at all levels for free once they make payments.
“The numbers are counting because Kenyans now know if you register, you have free access to levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 and part of levels 5 and 6 as long as they have made their contribution,” he said.
Furthermore, he revealed that a total of 5.7 million Kenyans are from SHA, with 3.6 million under the Primary Health Fund and 2.1 million under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
“We have paid facilities Ksh49.2 billion for 5.7 million Kenyans in the last 8 months. The government hopes to pay 3 times more than NHIF could pay in a year by the end of 1 year since launch.”
Furthermore, he announced that the government is launching a nationwide campaign to ensure that every Kenyan is registered under the healthcare system, enabling both levels of government to conduct proper planning.
We intend to get every Kenyan, including their dependents, registered in SHA. We are rolling out a campaign to ensure every Kenyan understands that it is necessary to register because it gives the national and devolved governments the ability to plan for health adequately by providing the right number of staff, equipment, and medical supplies,” he said.
Lipa Pole Pole
This comes after a section of Kenyans voiced concerns over the Lipa Pole Pole contribution model introduced at the Social Health Authority (SHA), questioning the relationship between SHA and the Financial Inclusion Fund, popularly known as the Hustler Fund.
Under the new staggered payment plan, which took effect in June 2025, self-employed Kenyans are now required to clear the annual subscription to SHA in a lump sum through a Hustler Fund loan, scrapping the monthly contributions.
The move has now caused jitters among Kenyans over the loans being pushed into their already strained pockets.
During his Madaraka Day speech on June 1, 2025, President Ruto unveiled the annual payment to SHA, integrating it with the Hustler Fund ecosystem, where self-employed Kenyans who are unable to afford the annual lump sum will be given a loan, which they will choose to repay either daily, weekly, or monthly.
