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Interior Cabinet Secretary Abraham Kithure Kindiki has pledged to deploy National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) to register Kenyans to the Social Health Authority (SHA) before its October 1, 2024 rollout.

Speaking after meeting Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa Mlongo on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, CS Kindiki announced that administration officers will coordinate the registration exercise.

Besides helping in the registration exercise, the CS noted that the administrators will play an integral part in the sensitisation of Kenyans to enrol on the programme.

“National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) will coordinate the registration of 12 million households for the Kenya Universal Health Coverage Policy as part of the efforts to mitigate cost-related barriers to medical care in the country,” a statement shared by the Ministry of Interior read in part.

“Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has announced that the administrators will step up sensitisation activities at the grassroots and facilitate the enrolment of more beneficiaries into the programme,” it added.

Legal framework

CS Kindiki also assured his Health counterpart that the government has put measures to avoid facing legal hurdles during the implementation phase.

“Kindiki affirmed that the government has already put in place the legal framework initiative ahead of its roll-out on October 01, 2024,” the Ministry of Interior emphasised.

Speaking during the meeting, CS Barasa expressed confidence in the SHA rollout insisting that NGAOs will help achieve the 60 per cent registration target.

Barasa drummed support for the SHA rollout indicating that it helps reduce the cost of medical care.

“I encourage each of you to become ambassadors for the Social Health Authority and UHC to ensure that all Kenyans have access to comprehensive health services without financial hardship,” she stated.

SHA is being rolled out to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). The expected launch comes after a myriad of court battles which delayed the launch.

“We call on everyone to register via *147# or http://sha.go.ke ahead of the roll-out on October 1, 2024,” William Ruto stated after meeting with Health officials.