The government has revealed that only 464,263 Kenyans have enrolled in the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) membership in 30 days.
Despite a mass registration drive launched on July 1, 2024, the numbers fell short of President William Ruto's recently announced target of 15 million.
This also fell short of the current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) membership of 14 million Kenyans.
In a statement, Medical Services PS Harry Kimtai said one of the main challenges facing SHIF was the multiple court cases challenging its legality.
The SHIF program is part of the state's plan to realize Universal Health Coverage, which is touted as one of President William Ruto's legacy projects.
Did you read this?
The SHIF program was made mandatory and required all Kenyans to register.
On July 12, 2024, the High Court declared SHIF unconstitutional, citing a lack of public participation. In the judgment, Parliament was granted 120 days to correct the legislation.
The Ministry also delayed procuring the ICT systems needed to implement the SHIF structure. Developing health benefits packages that suited all stakeholders was also a major challenge.
PS Kimtai also pointed out that financing became another issue as it heavily relies on the informal sector.
"The financing is heavily dependent on the informal sector (>70% of the revenue), which is volatile. Despite the interventions like premium financing, the Authority will still be exposed to adversity in the initial phases," he said.
Another challenge involved contacting Kenyans lacking internet connectivity and power supply access.
Despite the challenges, the PS noted that system procurement is advanced while 7,876 healthcare providers were enlisted at the SHA website.
He also revealed that the transition committee had finalized its work and will submit the report by August 8, 2024.
The committee was appointed on January 26, 2024, and tasked with developing a clear roadmap for the transition from NHIF to SHIF.
