Kajiado sets UHC milestone with SHA registrations

Health CS Adan Duale and Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku during the official launch of the Social Health Authority (SHA) at Kajiado Town. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

More than 400,000 residents in Kajiado County have enrolled under the Social Health Authority (SHA), the government’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, Health Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale has revealed.

Speaking during the national rollout of the SHA and Digital Health Transformation Programme in Kajiado, Duale said the figure represents 38.4% of the county’s population. Of those enrolled, 92,036 individuals have completed means testing, with contributions averaging Sh638 per person.

Duale noted that more than 48,000 hospital visits have been recorded under SHA so far, with Sh848 million in claims already approved — a clear indicator of trust and real-world utilization of the system.

At the facility level, 162 out of 417 health centres are now connected to the SHA provider portal, enabling them to process claims, track patient history, and coordinate care in real time.

"With today’s distribution of 530 tablets, this progress will be further accelerated, expand the reach of digital tools, and strengthen the training of frontline health workers, thereby deepening the digitization and access to universal health care," said Duale.

He emphasized that the rollout marks a shift toward people-centered health protection across Kajiado’s pastoralist, urban, and border town communities.

“Today is not just about launching a programme, it is about changing the health story for Kajiado. This programme responds to the real lives of real people, whether you are a livestock herder in Loitokitok or a construction worker in Ongata Rongai,” said the CS.

"Healthcare should not wait for paperwork or distance. It should meet you where you are, when you need it. That is what this digital transformation allows us to do," he added, highlighting SHA’s vision to protect Kenyans from the financial shock of illness. He also praised features like the Lipa SHA Pole Pole model that support affordability and access.

Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, who hosted the CS, described the rollout as timely and transformative.

“For years, distance, cost, and confusion have stood between our people and care,” he said. “This agenda removes those barriers. It allows us to protect the herder, the expectant mother, the boda boda rider, and the elderly grandparent in one system. That is what UHC is about. And that is what we are now part of.”

SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi commended the county’s rapid uptake and called Kajiado a case study in inclusive health coverage.

“Kajiado is proving that when a system respects people’s realities, uptake follows,” said Dr. Mwangangi.

The Digital Health Agency (DHA), which is driving SHA’s digital backbone, has equipped health workers with tools for paperless registration, referral coordination, and patient record access at the point of care.

“When a health worker in Mashuru can access a patient’s previous diagnosis from Kitengela, that is a system that works. With every tablet connected and every healthcare provider linked, we are shrinking the distance between illness and care,” said the Acting CEO of DHA.