The Social Health Authority (SHA) has extended the deadline for healthcare providers to complete their contracting requirements to December 31, 2026, giving hospitals and other facilities additional time to meet the conditions required to continue operating under the scheme.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 15, SHA said the extension moves the transition period for existing healthcare provider contracts beyond the previous deadline of October 14, 2026.
The authority explained that the decision was intended to give healthcare facilities more time to address pending requirements and resolve difficulties experienced during the contracting process while maintaining uninterrupted services for beneficiaries.
Under the revised arrangement, existing contracts covering the 2024–2026 period will remain in force throughout the extension. The new contracting cycle is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027.
SHA has urged healthcare providers to complete the contracting process and ensure their new agreements are signed and effective by December 31, 2026, ahead of the start of the new cycle.
The authority also reminded facilities that submitting the required documentation remains mandatory. It noted that the earlier moratorium on selected documents had expired, meaning healthcare providers must now comply with the applicable documentation requirements to finalise their contracts.
SHA further assured beneficiaries that they would continue accessing healthcare services at facilities holding valid contracts during the extended transition period. The authority added that valid claims submitted within this period would be honoured.
To help providers meet the revised deadline, SHA said it would continue engaging healthcare facilities and offering assistance through the ongoing HAKIKA contracting clinics at its county offices.
The extension comes as the government continues addressing issues surrounding healthcare delivery and the integration of digital health systems across the country.
Separately, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale dismissed claims that the Ministry of Health had switched off Murang’a County’s Afya Ke digital health system.
In a statement on Thursday, Duale said the ministry neither owned nor managed the system and did not have access to its source code. He described it as a private arrangement between the Murang’a County Government and the system’s developers.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata responded by pointing to the system’s use of a .go.ke domain, arguing that such domains are associated with government entities and registered under Treasury nameservers.
Duale also denied claims that the Digital Health Agency had refused to certify the Afya Ke system. He said neither the developers nor the county government had submitted an application for certification.
The Cabinet Secretary maintained that the ministry remained committed to supporting county governments in their digital health programmes. He assured the public that SHA beneficiaries in Murang’a would continue receiving healthcare services through established SHA systems without interruption.