Concern as gov’t migrates some NHIF members to SHA without consent
Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Mlongo Barasa speaks during the launch of the Social Health Assurance (SHA) at Central Primary School in Uasin-Gishu County on October 1, 2024. CS Barasa said the initiative aims to expand health care access across the country by providing an inclusive and equitable health insurance option for all residents. Photo/Jeremiah Choge
The Kenyan government has begun migrating millions of National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) members to a new health care platform under the Social Health Authority (SHA), sparking widespread public outcry over the lack of consent in the process.
As part of the country’s efforts to enhance Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the SHA aims to centralise health services and streamline health care access for all citizens.
However, the abrupt migration of NHIF accounts, which many Kenyans only discovered through SMS notifications, has left the public frustrated and demanding answers.
The message received by millions of NHIF members read: “Your NHIF account has been migrated successfully to the Social Health Authority. To update your profile, dial *147# or visit sha.go.ke.”
While the transition is designed to integrate health care services, many have raised concerns over the automatic transfer of their personal data without their prior approval.
Public reaction has been swift, with many Kenyans taking to social media to express their anger.
“This is insane, isn't this a breach of privacy?” one user asked, while another said “I don't remember consenting to this.”
The lack of an opt-in process, which had initially been promised by the government, has fueled suspicions about data privacy and transparency.
National Assembly’s Health Committee Chairperson Robert Pukose revealed that as of Wednesday, over 12.6 million Kenyans had been registered under SHA, with 9.6 million of them transitioned directly from NHIF.
Mr Pukose admitted that many had received the SMS notification without having taken any action themselves, leading to confusion and frustration.
Further adding to public concern, Acting SHA CEO Elijah Wachira confirmed that technical glitches, particularly related to the biometric system, had stalled claims processing under the new platform.
The failures have left many patients unable to access medical services, raising questions about the readiness of the SHA system to support Kenya’s health care needs.
Principal Secretary for Medical Services Harry Kimtai previously acknowledged that of the 12 million NHIF members, only 9 million had verifiable documentation.
This revelation has sparked fears that the migration could undermine efforts to clean up NHIF's membership data, which has historically been plagued by issues such as ghost members.
As the SHA seeks to implement its mandate, Kenyans are expected to contribute 2.75pc of their income toward the new health care scheme.
However, with trust in the system wavering and the rollout marred by technical issues, questions about the future of health care coverage in the country remain.
For now, millions of NHIF members are left grappling with an automatic transition they never opted into, waiting to see if the SHA can fulfil its promise of better health care.
SHA came into effect on October 1, 2024.
