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President William Ruto's administration has shut down over 700 non-compliant facilities and downgraded others to ease the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale noted that 728 hospitals that were not compliant with the Social Health Authority (SHA) since its launch on October 1, 2025, have been shut down.

The state also downgraded 301 facilities through a joint effort by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), the Digital Health Agency (DHA) and SHA.

Speaking during an update on the rollout of Taifa Care in Nairobi on Monday, June 16, Duale said the move was part of the digital transformation of health services.

The CS noted that the state will continue to carry out a nationwide crackdown on ghost facilities, quacks and misuse of public funds, urging Kenyans to report any such cases.

"I urge the public to report fake facilities and unlicensed practitioners via toll-free number 147 as we work to build a health system that is affordable, accessible and accountable to every Kenyan," said Duale.

Duale explained that through the comprehensive integrated health information system, SHA can get real-time data sharing between hospitals, national and county governments for accountability.

The CS noted that SHA contracted 9,365 healthcare facilities nationwide, which include 5,219 public, 3,650 private, and 496 faith-based (FBO) facilities.

These hospitals enable service access with a total of 5.7 million Kenyans enjoying Primary Health Care Facility (PHCF) and Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) services.

Duale revealed that the number of Kenyans registered under SHA increased to 23,674,672 in June 2025, with 28,679 new registrations happening as of Monday, June 16.

He said about 5,483,160 Kenyans have undergone Means Testing to determine their premium contributions.

Meanwhile, the Social Health Authority (SHA) rolled out the Lipa Pole Pole options for Kenyans in the informal sector who are unable to make full monthly or yearly contributions.

CS Duale said the sector, which is the largest in the country's labour force, has over 1.8 registered SHA members who are paying their premiums via the lipa pople pole product.

President William Ruto announced the introduction of Lipa SHA Pole Pole during the Madaraka Day Celebrations in Homa Bay County on June 1, 2025.

Source: TUKO.co.ke