The Ministry of Health has launched a crackdown targeting employers who are not remitting their employees' Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) deductions.
In a statement on Monday, June 23, the Medical Services Principal Secretary, Ouma Olunga, confirmed that the ministry has deployed Registration and Compliance Officers (RCOs) who will conduct door-to-door inspections to scrutinise employers' remittance compliance.
The team, according to the PS, will kickstart their inspections in Nairobi and then expand to Kiambu and Kajiado Counties before scaling up to the rest of the country in the next six months.
The ministry mandates every employer in the country to remit SHA deductions on the 9th of the month. According to Ouma, the ministry aims to recover Ksh21 billion owed by non-compliant employers across the country.
“The SHA RRI targets recovery of Ksh21 billion owed by non-compliant employers. These funds are critical to ensure timely payments to hospitals. All public sector employers are already compliant,” the PS said.
"Where there is non-compliance despite engagement and notice, the law will be followed, including penalties. We do this not to be punitive, but to be fair to the millions of Kenyans who are faithfully contributing," he added.
Apart from the compliance officers, the PS has noted that the ministry will leverage other digital tools, through the Digital Health Agency, to track down employer contributions and identify debts to ensure transparency and accountability in the medical scheme.
The Ministry has asserted that remitting SHA deductions on time will be fundamental in the seamless rollout of the medical scheme and also in enhancing healthcare accessibility among Kenyans.
"Let me be clear: This is not about punishment. It is about building and strengthening partnerships and shared responsibility. The SHA team will be working with the employers to support them, to explain to them, and to work with them to ensure that everyone plays their part in building a fair and sustainable health system," the PS stated.
In a statement on Monday, June 16, the health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, confirmed that so far, 23 million Kenyans have enrolled with SHA, and it is conducting means testing for 5.48 million people to ensure contributions are aligned with income levels.
Additionally, the health boss confirmed that SHA had contracted 9,365 healthcare facilities, comprising 5,219 public, 3,650 private, and 496 faith-based institutions.
"As of today, 16th June 2025, 12:30 pm, 23,674,672 Kenyans have enrolled in TaifaCare, with 28,679 new registrations so far today. Additionally, 5,483,160 Kenyans have undergone Means Testing to determine their premium contributions," Duale said.
