VIHIGA, Kenya – Vihiga County has become the first in Kenya to enroll its employees into the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMS) under the Social Health Authority (SHA), marking a key milestone in the government’s drive toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The agreement, signed Monday between the Ministry of Health and the county government, will provide more than 3,000 employees with comprehensive medical cover starting October 1, 2025.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who led the ministry’s delegation, hailed the deal as a breakthrough under the Taifa Care Model.
He said the initiative sets the pace for other counties while reaffirming the government’s commitment to equitable and affordable healthcare.
“This is a significant step toward people-centered healthcare. Protecting public resources and ensuring fairness in access to services is central to UHC,” Duale said.
𝐕𝐢𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐇𝐀 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐇𝐂Vihiga County has made history by becoming the first county in Kenya to enroll its employees into
Alongside the contract, Duale presided over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SHA, the Ministry of Health, and the Vihiga County Government.
A joint committee will be established to coordinate the implementation of the pact.
The MoU outlines strategies to expand maternal healthcare, including antenatal services, safe deliveries—both normal and caesarean—and postnatal care.
Duale stressed that the reforms are anchored on digitization, pointing to biometric registration now operational in Level 4, 5, and 6 facilities, with plans to roll it out in lower-level hospitals.
The Ministry is also scaling up the Hospital Management Information Systems (HMIS) to allow real-time tracking of patient data, reduce fraud and ghost billing, and improve service delivery.
County officials said the agreement represents a bold step toward ensuring health security for workers while strengthening the broader UHC reforms.
“This milestone ensures our staff can access quality healthcare and continue serving residents effectively,” said Vihiga Governor Wilberforce Ottichilo.
The SHA reforms are central to the government’s UHC agenda, aimed at reducing the cost of healthcare for citizens and improving accountability across the sector.
