NAIROBI, Kenya — Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the Council of Governors (CoG) Health Committee have agreed that the current Social Health Authority (SHA) contracts for public health facilities will not be extended beyond October 14, 2026.
The decision was reached during a meeting on October 5 between the Health Ministry, CoG, SHA, the Digital Health Agency (DHA), health-sector regulators and other stakeholders to review implementation of the SHA 2026–2029 contracting cycle and the HAKIKA programme.
The meeting was chaired by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, who heads the CoG Health Committee.
The stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring eligible public health facilities complete the contracting process within the set deadline and continue providing quality and uninterrupted services to SHA beneficiaries.
SHA Sets Up HAKIKA Clinics
SHA will establish HAKIKA contracting clinics in every county through October 14 to help eligible facilities complete the contracting process.
The authority will also provide weekly progress updates to the CoG until all eligible facilities have been contracted.
A Joint Technical Committee comprising representatives from SHA, CoG and county health departments will coordinate implementation, provide oversight and address technical and operational challenges.
Each county health facility will retain an individual contract with SHA, with payments continuing to be made to its respective Facility Improvement Financing account.
To minimise delays, SHA will accept relevant documentation already held at county level as part of the contracting process.
Facilities Given 30 Days For Outstanding Documents
Facilities that meet all other contracting requirements will be granted 30 days to submit outstanding documentation relating to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), fire safety, National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).
The conditional compliance period, however, will not exempt facilities from meeting their statutory obligations.
The stakeholders also stressed the importance of regulatory compliance, quality of care and patient safety.
Facilities must have valid licences for laboratory, pharmacy and imaging services from the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board (KMLTTB), Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) and Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KENRA), respectively.
Under the agreement, facilities will only be contracted for services for which they are duly licensed.
Level 4 and Level 5 facilities will have three months to meet compulsory laboratory licensing requirements.
SHA Commits To Pay Clean Claims Within 90 Days
The meeting also agreed on a new framework for claims management.
Clean claims will be paid within 90 days of receipt and in the order in which they are received.
Where available funds are insufficient to settle eligible clean claims, the unpaid claims will be recognised as certified liabilities and carried forward for settlement within the same financial year, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Counties To Accelerate Digital Health Transition
The stakeholders also discussed digital health, data protection, security of county health information and the rollout of the PPB track-and-trace system.
The CoG committed to supporting Level 5 hospitals to complete their transition to the Health Management Information System (HMIS) by October 30, 2026.
SHA will meet County Executive Committee Members for Health on October 6 to strengthen coordination and accelerate implementation of HAKIKA across the counties.
The engagement concluded with the signing of a Joint Communiqué on the contracting of county public health facilities under the SHA 2026–2029 contracting cycle.
The communiqué commits the national and county governments to greater accountability, improved service delivery and ensuring eligible county facilities can continue serving SHA beneficiaries.
Among those attending the meeting were Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth, SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi, CoG County Executive Committee Caucus Chairperson and Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Health Dr Gregory Ganda, and representatives of the country’s health-sector regulatory bodies.
Other officials included PPB Chief Executive Officer Dr Ahmed Mohamed, Clinical Officers Council Chief Executive Officer Ibrahim Wako, KENRA Director-General James Keter, DHA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Lenayara, Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Health Suzanne Silantoi and National Cancer Institute Chief Executive Officer Dr Elias Melly.
