Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has directed all health facilities contracted by the Social Health Authority (SHA) to complete their migration to the new Health Management Information System (HMIS) by midnight on September 30, warning that facilities that fail to comply risk losing access to the scheme.
Duale said the existing SHA provider portal will be shut down at the deadline, ushering in a new phase of digital patient verification, service processing and electronic claims management.
“On the first, we are going to close the provider portal on SHA, and we are asking all health facilities to transition to a new system called HMIS,” Duale said.
The transition is part of the Government’s broader digital health reforms being implemented through the Digital Health Agency (DHA), with the aim of integrating health information systems and reducing reliance on manual processes.
According to Duale, county and public hospitals at levels two, three and four have already migrated to the new system. Private and faith-based facilities have been required to complete the transition before the September 30 deadline.
The HMIS is expected to support digital verification of patients and electronic submission and processing of claims, with the Government seeking to strengthen efficiency, transparency and accountability in the management of healthcare financing.
The deadline also coincides with the expiry of existing SHA contracts with healthcare providers. SHA has said facilities without executed contracts under the new 2026–2029 contracting cycle will lose access to the provider portal and will not be allowed to provide services to SHA beneficiaries from October 1.
The new contracting framework, known as HAKIKA, covers the 2026–2029 period and is intended to provide clearer contractual obligations, reimbursement arrangements, quality standards and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
SHA has also introduced an electronic contracting platform through which providers can submit applications, upload documents, verify licences, execute contracts and track their applications.
Faith-based facilities
Speaking in Nairobi during the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS), Duale highlighted the role of faith-based health facilities in delivering services under SHA.
He said 876 faith-based facilities currently have active SHA contracts, with 530 already using the system to transact.
The facilities have submitted claims valued at Sh41.1 billion, of which Sh29.8 billion has been settled, according to the CS.
Duale said faster and more predictable claims processing was critical to ensuring that health facilities had sufficient resources to maintain operations, pay for essential services and keep adequate stocks of medicines and medical supplies.
He said digitalisation would provide greater visibility of transactions across the health sector while strengthening accountability as Kenya works towards World Health Organisation Maturity Level 3 in health-system regulation and digital health.
Focus on medicines and health products
The CS also used the MEDS anniversary to emphasise the importance of reliable access to quality-assured medicines and health products in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He said UHC should ultimately be assessed by patients’ experiences at health facilities, including whether they can access safe, effective and affordable medicines.
MEDS has supported healthcare providers for four decades through the sourcing, testing, quality assurance and distribution of essential medicines and health products.
The organisation has maintained World Health Organisation prequalification since 2009 and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification as well as ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, attained in 2024.
The 40th anniversary celebrations also saw the launch of MEDS Devane Company Limited, a commercial arm intended to expand access to quality-assured health products in Kenya’s private healthcare market.
The new company is expected to serve private hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories and other healthcare-sector players.
Duale called for continued investment in resilient medical supply chains, skilled health workers and independent quality-testing systems, saying these would be critical to strengthening Kenya’s healthcare system.
The HMIS transition therefore marks another major step in the Government’s push to establish a more integrated and paperless health financing system, with healthcare providers expected to fully comply as the SHA provider portal closes at the end of September.
