Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has revealed that over 24.4 million Kenyans have enrolled under the Social Health Authority (SHA), praising the growing public trust in the country’s new health financing system, which he described as more inclusive and effective than the now-defunct NHIF.

Speaking during a visit to King Fahad Hospital in Lamu County, Duale said 70,000 residents in Lamu had registered with SHA, including 21,000 who signed up on Thursday alone.

He noted that Lamu ranks tenth nationwide in the ongoing campaign, with Mombasa County leading in total registrations.

“SHA is working. Those making negative remarks don’t know what is going on. Here in Lamu, people have turned out and registered freely,” said Duale, adding that the majority of Kenyans were joining voluntarily.

The Cabinet Secretary announced plans to upgrade King Fahad Hospital to a Level 5 teaching and referral facility to enhance healthcare delivery in the region.

“I’ve instructed that an inspection team visit next week so that some of the 6,000 intern doctors we’ve recruited can be posted here,” he said.

Duale dismissed the old National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as inefficient, stating that SHA already covers millions and offers better services to a broader population.

“SHA is far better than NHIF. It is already benefiting millions with affordable and efficient healthcare,” he said. “NHIF served only 20 out of every 100 employed Kenyans.”

He also launched new infrastructure at King Fahad Hospital, including a modern oxygen plant and newly built private wards. He said the Ministry is cracking down on inflated claims and overcrowding in public hospitals used to exploit the health system.

“KNH has a capacity of 1,800 patients. That is the number they should admit. If they want to admit more, let them buy more beds,” Duale said.

“It is my responsibility to clean up the healthcare sector, and I am ready to lose my job doing so. I’ve started today with KNH, and that culture of crowding beds and billing SHA must end,” he added.

Duale also highlighted the inclusive nature of SHA coverage, particularly its support for large families.

“I’m happy—it’s like SHA was made for Muslims. It covers four wives and an unlimited number of children, unlike NHI,F which only covered one wife,” he said.

He further outlined SHA’s financial support to patients, including full coverage of childbirth costs, Sh28,000 per night for ICU care, and up to Sh30,000 for Caesarean section deliveries.

On medical supplies, Duale said reforms at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) would soon enable efficient delivery of drugs to all counties. He emphasised that the government is determined to achieve universal health coverage and that the SHA rollout would continue across the country.

The campaign, which has already reached counties like Migori, Kajiado, and Lamu, is expected to move to Taita Taveta on Friday.