Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has revealed that more than 420,000 Kenyans have enrolled in the SHA Lipa Pole Pole programme, a flexible health insurance payment model aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Duale said the programme was launched by the President in June 2025 during Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay and has since gained significant traction among Kenyans.
“As of this evening, 420,000 Kenyans have enrolled in SHA Lipa Pole Pole. They have paid a total of Ksh1.4 billion, and they are now accessing specialised treatment that was not available to them before,” Duale stated.
The Health CS noted that the Lipa Pole Pole model was designed to ease the financial burden on households by allowing contributors to make small, manageable payments over time, rather than a lump-sum contribution.
This comes shortly after Duale presented a comprehensive overview of Kenya’s healthcare system and legislative roadmap toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The presentation took place during the 2026 Legislative Retreat of the National Assembly, presided over by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
Addressing lawmakers, Duale detailed progress across five core pillars guiding Kenya’s UHC reforms, anchored on ongoing initiatives by the Ministry of Health.
He highlighted advancements under the Social Health Authority (SHA), noting that “over 29 million Kenyans are now registered with a collection of Ksh130.4 billion and Ksh93.4 billion has been disbursed since rollout.”
To enhance access to government-financed primary healthcare, the ministry is implementing the Green Label Service Charter in public and private facilities across all 47 counties.
Duale emphasised the role of digital innovation in strengthening service delivery, reporting that “10,277 facilities are now onboarded to national digital health systems and 30,087 devices deployed nationwide, enabling real-time reporting from even the most remote health facilities and strengthening accountability and data-driven decision-making.”
Duale reaffirmed the critical contributions of 107,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) on the frontline and noted that UHC staff have been paid according to Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) rates since September 2025, “marking a significant milestone in workforce stabilisation.”
