Govt Waters Down Uproar By Kenyans Moved From NHIF To SHA Without Consent

Principal Secretary (PS) Harry Kimtai explained that the transition was done in accordance with the law.

Govt Waters Down Uproar By Kenyans Moved From NHIF To SHA Without Consent
The NHIF building rebranded with SHA identity and a text message showing migration from NHIF to SHA (inset). /SOCIAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.VIRAL TEA KE

The Ministry of Health has sought to explain the forceful migration of millions of National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) members to the Social Health Authority (SHA) health insurance scheme, despite the outrage by Kenyans from being moved to the new scheme without their permission.

In a statement, the Ministry confirmed that details of Kenyans who were enrolled with the defunct NHIF were automatically transitioned to SHA. This is despite previous appeals by the Ministry for Kenyans to register for the new scheme.

Principal Secretary (PS) Harry Kimtai explained that the transition was done in accordance with the law.

"The Ministry has received inquiries regarding the transition of existing NHIF members to SHA. We wish to clarify that the laws as per legal notice 147 of 2024 provided for the transition of all registered and verifiable NHIF members into SHA," the PS clarified.

Principal Secretary for the State Department for Medical Services, Harry Kimtai, during an address on September 18, 2024. /HARRY KIMTAI

"This process ensures continuity of coverage, and members are encouraged to verify, update their profiles and add dependents through our official SHA channels at www.sha.go.ke."

According to the Social Health Insurance Act which was assented to by President William Ruto in 2023, all NHIF members were to be transitioned to the new authority.

This may not help in soothing the intense criticism that erupted immediately after Kenyans reported receiving text messages from SHA informing them that their details had been migrated to the new authority.

"Your NHIF account has been migrated successfully to Social Health Authority. To update your profile dial *147#, visit sha.go.ke or any authorized SHA agent," the message read.

The government’s decision to bypass the opt-in process and automatically transfer data has led to accusations of violating individual rights and disregarding transparency. 

To add fuel to the flames, on September 30, SHA through its X account revealed that Kenyans needed to opt in to register with SHA since "your data cannot be transferred without your consent", in response to a user who asked, "If I am already registered with NHIF, do I need to re-register for SHIF, or will my coverage automatically transfer?"

The move could attract legal consequences since Kenyans believe that it was done in violation of data protection laws in the country.

On Wednesday, Acting SHA CEO Elijah Wachira openly admitted to the botched rollout, citing that claims processing had stalled due to biometric failures, leaving patients in limbo.

His admission of the failure of biometric systems has left many wondering about the future of health coverage under the new regime and with nearly 10 million NHIF users already transferred to SHA, the lingering technical challenges threaten to undermine the credibility of the new scheme.

While speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Health Committee Chairperson Robert Pukose revealed that as of Wednesday, 12,600,800,033 Kenyans had been registered to SHA. He told Parliament, “Out of that, those who are in NHIF are 9,640,640,523 and those who are newly registered are 2,900,323.”

Pukose added, “I can confirm that...you will find that messages are coming to your phone without you even having done anything. You are among those 9.6 million that have been transitioned from NHIF to SHIF through the system without you doing anything after they cleaned the system.”

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Deborah Barasa during a meeting on September 24, 2024. /MINISTRY OF HEALTH