Effective February 28th, 2025, the Social Health Authority (SHA) will begin peeking into citizens’ data from multiple sources including mobile money, tax records, car ownership, land registrations, KPLC payments and Hustler Fund data, among other databases.
This is to ensure Kenyans pay for health premiums that reflect their financial status. The shift in the government’s Universal Health Coverage plan is motivated by the need to identify individuals who pay low premiums whilst bearing the ability to pay more.
It mostly targets the self-employed individuals who use Means Testing. Means Testing Tool is an online form, where self-employed and jobless Kenyans fill out their property details and what they do for a living.
It then uses an algorithm to determine their annual income from which they pay 2.7 percent.
The Ministry of Health said many people declare themselves as landless or residing in mud houses just to pay lower premiums. Health CS Deborah Barasa explained linking SHA to government databases will ensure Kenyans fairly contribute to their premiums.
To curb the pauper tricks by Kenyans, SHA will be cross-checking declared data from sources such as the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Immigration Department, Communications Authority, Registrar of Companies, Kenya Power, NTSA, Ministry of Cooperatives and the Ministry of Lands through the KIAMIS system.
“We have a new algorithm, which is under development, and it will rely more on data triangulation from other existing databases in government agencies for improvement of the accuracy of means testing,” the CS stated.
Moreover, it will increase the average monthly premiums paid by self-employed Kenyans from Sh560 to Sh880.
“Previously, people would cheat the system and this had great impacts in terms of our average. Our average currently is at Sh560 and yet we need Sh880 from means testing for the SHA system to be sustainable,” she added.
Once the newly updated Means Testing System is ready with the integrated databases, it will make premiums more predictable. Through this, the government will introduce Insurance Premium Financing (IPF) to assist poor households meet their premium obligations.
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Deputy President Kithure Kindiki clarified SHA’s registration numbers to be 19.5 million, with only 3.5 million who are mostly in formal sectors actively paying premiums.
The government has been covering premiums for 1.5 million Kenyans while 14.5 million SHA members can access free primary healthcare services in dispensaries and health centres.
“For them to access care in Level 4 facilities and above, they need to pay. From March 1st, we will roll out a huge national campaign to increase enrolment and make premiums predictable,” said the Deputy President.
The increased premium raises the probability of payment lapses by Kenyans, of whom a majority are struggling with the economic turmoil in the country.
