President William Ruto said on Aug. 18 that 32.3 million Kenyans are registered under the Social Health Authority, up from 8 million under the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund, as he opened the inaugural Kenya Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Ruto said more than 500,000 surgeries have been performed under the Social Health Authority since it replaced NHIF in October 2024, and that more than 50,000 cancer patients have been treated, against about 7,000 under the previous fund.
“Numbers tell the story of the remarkable transformation we have undertaken in Kenya’s health sector over the past three years,” Ruto said, in remarks reported by People Daily.
Social Health Authority payouts reach Ksh178 billion
The Social Health Authority has received Ksh209 billion since October 2024 and paid out Ksh178 billion to health facilities, supporting 8 million citizens, the president said. More than 10,000 facilities are accredited and 862 units of specialised medical equipment have been deployed nationwide.
Ruto also said Ksh23.3 billion has been spent through the Primary Health Care Fund, covering more than 20 million outpatient visits, that Ksh17 billion was allocated to maternal healthcare, and that more than 42,000 digital devices were distributed to health workers and facilities.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale attended the two-day summit, which continued on Aug. 19 with sessions assessing Social Health Authority reform progress and setting priorities for expanding universal health coverage.
Why it matters: Kenya’s SHA numbers set the regional benchmark that Nigerian and Ghanaian insurance reforms will be measured against by donors and investors.
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