Health Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale speaks during a meeting with the National Assembly’s Committee on Delegated Legislation on April 22, 2025.
Duale gave the assurance when he appeared before the committee, chaired by Samuel Chepkong’a (Ainabkoi), to discuss two key digital health regulations.
"Like any new programme, SHA faced some initial challenges, which was expected. However, I can now confirm that the system is working and many Kenyans are benefiting while more others are registering every day," said Duale.
He told members of the House team that at least 5,000 Kenyans had registered with SHA by the morning of the meeting.
“We expect the number to rise to over 10,000 by the end of the day,” he added.
He was taken to task by the committee on the new regulations that are intended to establish an integrated digital healthcare system while safeguarding data privacy.
The proposed guidelines include the Digital Health (Health Information Management Procedures) Regulations, 2025, and the Digital Health (Data Exchange Component) Regulations, 2025.
According to the CS, to support the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the Ministry launched the USSD code *147# to ease registration and access.
At the session, MPs acknowledged the increasing number of Kenyans enrolling in SHA and the increase of those benefiting from the scheme
“The Ministry, under your leadership, has made good progress. However, we still need robust public awareness campaigns to increase understanding and uptake, especially at the grassroots level,” said Chepkong’a.
He added, “Health facilities should clearly display the services they offer under SHA so the public knows what to expect.”
Members also suggested that all public health facilities should be clearly marked by their service levels, such as Level One or Level Two, so that patients are clearly guided on what service they should expect to get under the scheme, when they walk in.
Duale said the digital health law will improve service delivery by using advanced technology to support the rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and eliminate unqualified practitioners in the health sector.
