- Transitioning NHIF to SHA is part of government efforts to roll out universal health coverage (UHC).
- The court, however, declared SHIF, alongside the Primary Healthcare Act and Digital Health Act, unconstitutional.
Image: NHIF
The Ministry of Health has issued guidelines to employers on how to migrate employees from NHIF to the Social Health Authority, the body that will manage the Social Health Insurance Fund.
In a public notice on Monday, the ministry said the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will be transitioned to the Social Health Authority (SHA) effective October 1, 2024.
“As such, every Kenyan citizen, including dependents, is mandated by law to register as a member of the SHA. This notice provides essential information regarding the transition, payment deadlines, and the use of the SHA Employer Portal,” the notice reads in part.
Employers can access the SHA Employer Portal at https://sha.go.ke.
This is employers’ primary tool for managing employee SHIF contributions.
The portal has three key functions:
Registration of employees and their dependents with SHA, remittance of SHIF contributions on behalf of employees and generation of reports and statements.
How to access and use the portal
Create an account: Visit the SHA website and create an employer account.
Verify account: Follow the instructions to verify your account.
Add employees: Enter your employees' details and register them with SHA
Make contributions: Use the portal to remit SHIF contributions on time.
“Ensure all your employees are registered with SHA before October 1, 2024, and kindly adhere to the payment deadlines to avoid any disruptions in healthcare coverage for your employees,” acting SHA CEO, Elijah Wachira said.
Members will contribute 2.75 per cent of their income to SHIF while the government will pay for Kenyans who are unbale to pay.
Transitioning NHIF to SHA is part of government efforts to roll out universal health coverage (UHC).
The court, however, declared SHIF, alongside the Primary Healthcare Act and Digital Health Act, unconstitutional.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Alfred Mabeya, Robert Limo, and Friday Mugambi on July 12 found two sections of the Social Health Insurance Act (SHIA) unconstitutional.
The Act established the Social Health Authority, which is mandated to manage the three funds that will replace NHIF: the Primary Healthcare Fund, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund.
The impugned bits of SHIA are Sections 26(5) and 27(4) which state that a person can only access health services if their contributions are up to date and active, and that one must show proof of compliance with registration and contributions as a precondition for access to health services.
The court gave the government 120 days from the date of the judgment to fix the breaches of the law, which they found redeemable, and said, “if they fail to, the Act shall remain suspended.”
The ministry has been urging members of the public to register with SHA to facilitate their inclusion in SHIF.
It said the last NHIF admission will be September 30, 2024, while SHA benefits will commence on October 1, 2024.
“Payments received on or before October 9, 2024, will be credited to NHIF. Payments received from November 9, 2024, onwards will be credited to SHA,” Wachira said.