The clarification was issued by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Friday, October 2, following confusion over the government’s plans to shift healthcare providers from the SHA Provider Portal to HMIS.
The ministry explained that SHA remains the country’s health insurance authority, while HMIS is a digital system used by hospitals to manage patient and healthcare information.
Since the establishment of SHA, the Digital Health Agency (DHA) has provided a portal through which healthcare providers submit and transmit claims to the authority.
The Social Health Authority(SHA) building, October 1, 2024
However, hospitals have also been required to operate their own HMIS alongside the SHA Provider Portal.
The government said this duplication has increased administrative work in hospitals and may contribute to delays in processing claims and serving patients.
The government said the digital infrastructure being integrated has already been procured and paid for, with the latest changes focusing on improving how the systems communicate with each other.
“The objective is not simply to replace one portal with another. The bigger objective is to connect the different components of the healthcare ecosystem,” Duale said.
President William Ruto during the launch of the National Equipment Support Programme (NESP), which replaces the controversial Managed Equipment Services (MES) programme.
By linking claims more closely to actual patient encounters and services provided, the government expects to make it easier to identify duplicate claims, incorrect information and other irregularities.
The ministry said this could improve accountability while reducing some of the administrative challenges currently experienced by healthcare facilities.
The transition comes as SHA continues implementing changes to healthcare provider contracting and claims management.
Hospitals and other healthcare providers have therefore been required to adjust their systems and operations to comply with the new digital health framework.
The Ministry of Health said implementation will therefore focus on helping hospitals and healthcare workers adapt to the new arrangement.
The government is also targeting a reduction in paperwork and repeated data entry, which it says can allow medical staff to spend more time attending to patients.
Cs Aden Duale during the meeting with the African Development Bank Delegation at the Ministry Of Health on 24th November 2025
The transition is expected to continue as the government works to connect hospital information systems with SHA and other components of the national digital health infrastructure.
The clarification seeks to address concerns among healthcare providers and the public that the transition could mean the abolition or replacement of SHA.
Health CS Aden Duale and KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah during a meeting on July 2, 2026
