Health CS Aden Duale has thrown his full weight behind the nationwide rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA), urging Kenyans to seize the opportunity for wider healthcare access and shake off the corrupt practices that plagued the old system.
Addressing residents at Moyale Baraza Park in Marsabit County, Duale pitched the SHA as a ground-breaking shift toward universal healthcare. Unlike the scrapped National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which mainly served formal sector workers, SHA opens the door to all Kenyans regardless of employment status.
Importantly, Duale noted, the system accommodates larger family structures, allowing one to register up to four wives and an unlimited number of dependents, provided they can demonstrate proof of support.
Duale’s rallying cry comes amid criticism from opponents of the reforms, whom he dismissed as individuals desperate to preserve a broken status quo. The CS insisted the new model was crafted to deliver affordable, transparent healthcare for every Kenyan a major step toward achieving the country’s universal health coverage goals.
