Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has issued a detailed clarification on how the Social Health Authority (SHA) operates when it comes to facilitating treatment abroad amid concerns that the government healthcare system was dysfunctional outside Kenya. In a statement on Thursday, Duale reiterated that, unlike the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), SHA followed a legally mandated process empanelled under a contract. Duale explained that, unlike NHIF, the SHA is governed by strict procedures under the Social Health Insurance (SHI) Act, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, and guidelines from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). One of the key points of contention that the CS sought to address was the issue of what qualifies one to be treated under SHA abroad.
According to Duale, SHA cannot simply approve or fund overseas treatment arbitrarily. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during the flagging off of interns on Friday, August 1, 2025.
Photo Ministry of Health "SHA's workings are different from the repealed old fraud NHIF insurance system," said Duale. "SHA can only pay healthcare providers that are empaneled and under contract.
That is the law." The process of facilitating treatment abroad starts with confirming that the required medical treatment is not available in Kenya.
