President William Ruto has announced the official rollout of nationwide biometric registration for patients seeking services under the Social Health Authority (SHA), in a move aimed at enhancing accountability and eliminating rampant fraud in the health sector.
Speaking during a meeting with leaders from Tharaka-Nithi County at State House on Monday, President Ruto said the SMS-based patient identification system previously in use will be phased out due to increased vulnerability to abuse and fraudulent claims.
“Biometric registration will ensure that no one steals from us again,” the President declared.
The initiative, launched by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, will begin in Level 4 (sub-county), Level 5 (county referral), and Level 6 (national) hospitals, with plans to extend it to Level 2 and 3 facilities in the near future.
According to the President, the new system is part of wider reforms to streamline health financing and eliminate loopholes exploited by rogue players under the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“The NHIF failed because cartels had hijacked it. Some hospitals had more accountants than medical staff, just to manufacture fraud and fake claims,” Ruto remarked.
He revealed that in the 10 months since SHA launched in October 2024, it has disbursed over Sh52 billion, compared to NHIF’s Sh20 billion annually, a reflection of both scale and efficiency under the new framework.