By Michelle Ndaga
Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale today convened a high-level consultative forum with private healthcare providers and senior officials of the Social Health Authority (SHA) to deliberate on strategies for enhancing service delivery under the Taifa Care Model.
The meeting focused on sustaining service continuity during the early rollout of the Social Health Insurance (SHI) scheme.
Key issues addressed included capacity building on the new system, settlement of outstanding National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) debts, and mechanisms to ensure timely payments to facilities.
The government confirmed plans to begin repayment of pending NHIF bills totaling Ksh 5.3 billion, prioritising hospitals owed between Ksh 1–10 million, while claims above Ksh 10 million will undergo verification by an independent committee.
Several action points were adopted, including the appointment of SHA relationship managers for contracted facilities, creation of a joint SHA–DHA service desk at SHA headquarters and Huduma Centres, and real-time updates on policy changes.
The discussions underscored the importance of incorporating private providers and faith-based organisations (FBOs) in the County-to-County Taifa Care rollout to strengthen universal access to affordable and effective health services.
The forum also featured a panel session where reforms supporting Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda were outlined, highlighting the central role of the private sector and the need for timely settlement of claims by SHA for long-term system sustainability.
The session brought together representatives of 103 private healthcare facilities from seven counties — Kajiado, Embu, Machakos, Nairobi, Kiambu, Nyeri, and Kirinyaga.
The CS was joined by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr. Ouma Oluga, Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, DHA CEO Eng. Anthony Lenayara, KMPDC CEO Dr. David Kariuki, and senior Ministry officials.
