Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo has called on Kenyans to register en masse for the Social Health Authority (SHA), terming it a vital step toward achieving affordable and inclusive healthcare for all.
Speaking during the 100th anniversary celebrations of Kendu Adventist Hospital in Homa Bay County on Sunday, Omollo said the SHA, which recently replaced the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), is already proving to be a game-changer—particularly for low-income families previously excluded from medical coverage.
“Kenyans have been convinced that SHA is working, and the negative noise we had at the early stage is no more,” said Omollo. “Let the remaining Kenyans who haven’t registered do so to get affordable healthcare.”
Unlike its predecessor, SHA is designed to offer universal coverage, including for those outside the formal employment bracket, a move aligned with the Kenya Kwanza administration’s healthcare reforms.
Despite the positive uptake nationally, Omollo revealed that Homa Bay County is currently ranked 13th, with only 44% of the eligible population enrolled in the SHA scheme.
He urged local leaders to work closely with community health volunteers to bridge the gap.
“Health is a very important sector that touches everybody. My appeal goes to county officials and other leaders to mobilize communities for SHA registration,” he added.
Omollo was joined at the event by several senior officials, including Principal Secretaries Dr. Ouma Oluga (Medical Services), Mary Muthoni (Public Health), Boniface Makokha (Economic Planning), and Kipronoh Rono (Agriculture)—all of whom echoed his call for mass registration.
Dr. Oluga disclosed that the national government has already allocated over KSh20 billion to the SHA programme and emphasized that unregistered Kenyans risk missing out on essential services.
“Those who have not registered are denying themselves access to medication. Let’s register so that we can get better medical care,” said Oluga.
He also challenged health facilities to improve their efficiency and quality of care, pointing out that national-level infrastructure support must be matched by strong service delivery on the ground.
Local leaders in attendance—including Homa Bay Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga, Woman Representative Joyce Osogo, Karachuonyo MP Adipo Okuome, and Uriri MP Mark Nyamita—voiced strong support for the SHA rollout and urged residents to embrace the programme.
“The programmes that the government has rolled out, not only in Homa Bay but across Kenya, are meant to help us,” said MP Okuome. “Let’s support them to achieve their objectives of developing Kenyans.”
The SHA initiative is part of the government’s broader push for universal healthcare coverage, one of the key pillars of President William Ruto’s development agenda.
“Health is the cornerstone of national development,” Omollo posted on his official handle. “That’s why we are collectively championing the urgent scale-up of SHA registration across the country.”
