The Interior Ministry, through Turkana Central’s Deputy County Commissioner Thomas Siele, has announced that residents who have not registered for the Social Health Authority (SHA) will be excluded from receiving relief food.
While informing residents that the region had received 600 bags of food, Siele warned that only those registered for SHA would be eligible for distribution. He gave residents until Wednesday, March 26, to complete their registration before the food was handed out.
"The other day, I secured around 600 bags of relief food. However, before anyone benefits, there is a mandatory condition—one must be registered for SHA before the chief can issue the food," Siele stated.
The Deputy County Commissioner announced that only individuals registered with SHA would receive food aid from the ministry.
Those who failed to register and later fell ill began turning to the Deputy Governor for assistance, causing a burden that could be avoided by simply registering for the health fund.
"We want to ensure that everyone is under SHA. We don't want to feed people, then shortly hear they have fallen ill and cannot cater for the treatment, yet there is SHA. So let us all register for SHA if you want to receive the food," the Deputy Commissioner explained.
The Deputy County Commissioner emphasized that registering for the SHA is both free and voluntary. However, he urged efforts to sensitize residents about its benefits to boost registration.
As of December 2024, approximately 31,000 residents in Turkana County had registered for the SHA, which represents less than 5 per cent of the county's target population of 926,000.
Efforts to increase registration are ongoing, including community sensitization and the use of mobile devices for enrollment.
The Turkana Central Deputy County Commissioner, under the Ministry of Interior, is involved in coordinating food relief efforts in the region.
These initiatives are often aimed at supporting vulnerable communities affected by drought and food insecurity. Residents are usually provided with essential items like maize meal, rice, beans, and vegetable oil.
According to the Ministry of Health, over 18 million Kenyans have so far registered for SHA and efforts are ongoing to ensure all Kenyans register to actualize the government's universal healthcare agenda.
