Oluga urges Kenyans to embrace SHA as solution to dwindling donor funds

Speaking in Homa Bay on the sidelines of the 2025 Devolution Conference, Dr. Oluga said the only way the country can sustainably manage healthcare is through health financing, adding that SHA is the ideal model for ensuring every Kenyan has access to medical services.

“Health financing is the key to solving all our problems. Please ask every Kenyan to register and contribute to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), because that is the only way we can manage our healthcare,” Oluga said.

The PS noted that 35% of Kenya’s healthcare is currently funded by donors, amounting to Ksh.82 billion.

He warned that with some donors, such as USAID, exiting, Kenya has no choice but to embrace the new health insurance fund to sustain the sector.

“We are targeting Ksh.80 billion from Kenyans, plus Ksh.6.77 billion from employers. We are going to get somewhere. Parliament is going to give us about Ksh.125 billion. With that, we will be good enough, and we will work with it,” Oluga added.

Addressing concerns raised by Kenyans about SHA and its viability, PS Oluga said the Ministry of Health has established the Health Policy Platform to enable inclusive policy-making.

He explained that the platform will help the ministry collect views from Kenyans, visualise the resources available, and make informed decisions.

“We have to optimise the healthcare system. We want to create a democratised process driven by data, so that if I made a decision, and you were in my position tomorrow, you would make the same decision because it’s evidence-based,” he said.

Oluga also stressed that clinical governance is key to improving healthcare in the country, urging clinicians and healthcare providers to embrace true leadership in service delivery.

With these measures, Dr. Oluga expressed confidence that Kenya’s healthcare system will improve.

His remarks came shortly after the Ministry of Health launched nationwide biometric registration, through which patients seeking SHA services will be identified.

Announcing the launch, President William Ruto said the SMS code previously used to identify patients will no longer be used, as it has become susceptible to fraud.

The use of biometrics at Level 4 (sub-county), Level 5 (county referral), and Level 6 (national) hospitals is aimed at enhancing patient identification and eliminating fraud and fake claims that threaten the health sector.