Starting today, Kenyans can use the Hustler Fund to pay their Social Health Authority (SHA) premiums after the government updated the loan scheme to add the option.
A spot check by Kenyans.co.ke confirmed that many citizens received SMS notifications outlining how to pay for SHA contributions through the Lipa Pole Pole option using the Hustler Fund.
In simple terms, the government has enabled Kenyans to borrow from the Hustler Fund to finance their SHA premiums, easing the burden of paying the annual contributions upfront, especially for those in the informal sector.
To use this service, there are two ways. One of the ways is to use the USSD code *254# to access the Hustler menu.
Once on the menu, proceed to Option 4, labelled Lipa Pole Pole. There will be a pop-up menu indicating your SHA annual premium.
You will then be able to choose Hustler Fund as your financier. Proceed with the prompts to continue with this option. However, under this option, you must have cleared your initial loans.
Another option to use to pay premiums using Lipa Pole Pole is by using the USSD code *147#. To pay using Hustler Fund, you simply dial *147# on your lines, select “Lipa Pole Pole”, then choose the SHA contribution option.
Upon selecting Hustler Fund as the payment method, you can pick a repayment plan—daily, weekly, or monthly—after which the premium is settled instantly, and loan repayment begins automatically.
However, it is important to make sure that you are already enrolled in the Hustler Fund and have a good repayment history to qualify for this feature.
If you have not updated your SHA details, then the system will prompt you to update them step by step before accessing the services.
President William Ruto, on June 1, introduced a Lipa Pole Pole scheme for the Social Health Authority (SHA) insurance contributions targeting Kenyans working in the informal sectors.
Speaking at the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay, Ruto declared that Kenyans would now have the option to pay their yearly premiums in instalments or through a flexible payment plan.
The facility has been made possible through a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs, Mobile Network Operators, and Financial Institutions, through the Hustler Fund.
Despite the developments, the Hustler Fund has not informed Kenyans about the system integration, despite the two systems being hosted on separate data handling policies.
