The Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors have reached an agreement on the contracting of county public health facilities by the Social Health Authority (SHA) under the 2026–2029 contracting cycle.
The agreement was reached on Monday, October 5, 2026, during a consultative meeting held at Afya House in Nairobi, bringing together the Ministry of Health, SHA, county governments and health regulatory agencies.
The parties reaffirmed that county health services are a devolved function and committed to ensuring every eligible county facility is contracted, paid on time and able to provide uninterrupted services to SHA beneficiaries.
Under the agreement, each county health facility will maintain its own contract, with payments deposited into its respective Facility Improvement Financing account.
SHA will accept documents held at county level, including county KRA PIN and tax compliance certificates, NSSF compliance certificates, data protection registration and audited financial statements where applicable.
The authority will also accept county-approved fee schedules as facility price lists, while services covered by SHA will be paid according to SHA tariffs or negotiated rates.
On claims, SHA agreed that clean claims will be paid within 90 days of receipt and in the order received. Where funds are insufficient, affected facilities will be notified within seven days, with unpaid clean claims becoming certified liabilities.
Current contracts have been extended to October 14, 2026, to allow facilities to complete the new contracting process. No further extension will be granted.
A 30-day compliance moratorium will apply to outstanding NSSF, NEMA, fire safety, NCPWD and ODPC certificates. Facilities meeting other requirements will receive conditional contracts and submit the documents within the moratorium period.
SHA will conduct HAKIKA contracting clinics in every county from October 5 to 14 to support facilities with applications.
A Joint Technical Committee comprising SHA, the Council of Governors and County Health Departments will oversee implementation and resolve emerging issues.
SHA will also provide weekly county-by-county updates on contracting progress until all eligible facilities are contracted, while Level 5 hospitals are expected to complete their transition to the Health Management Information System by October 30, 2026.
