All Kenyans will be required to register for the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) starting January 2024.
According to the Social Health Insurance (SHI) Act 2023, registration is mandatory for every person residing in Kenya.
This is to ensure that residents are able to access health services in the country according to the Act.
“Within ninety days upon the coming into force of these Regulations, every person resident in Kenya shall apply for registration to the Authority as a member of the Social Health Insurance Fund,” the Act reads in part.
On Friday, January 19, the government received a reprieve after the Court of Appeal lifted High Court orders that barred implementation of the Act.
With the Ministry of Health given the go-ahead, SHIF will replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Unlike SHIF which will cover every Kenyan, there was no mandatory registration for non-salaried Kenyans in NHIF.
President William Ruto on Sunday, January 21, remarked that Kenyans from vulnerable households would have their monthly contributions paid for by the government.
Speaking during a media interview on Monday, Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana explained why the government cannot make payments for unregistered Kenyans.
“Even if you say you are not going to be able to raise any money, the requirement is that you should be registered for practical reasons,” he stated.
“If the community health providers say you are a person of very low means and you cannot pay, the government will pay for you. But you still have to register so that we know that you are there.”
Mungatana remarked that this will help the government to know how many Kenyans are accessing public health services.
Additionally, this will help the Ministry of Health to plan for medicine and healthcare workers based on the registered population.
