NAIROBI, Kenya — The Social Health Authority (SHA) has recognised 35 Members of Parliament for sponsoring health insurance contributions for financially vulnerable households, as Kenya seeks to expand access to healthcare and address a significant gap between registration and active contributions.
In a notice circulated on Monday, October 19, 2026, the authority featured the lawmakers in its “SHA Sponsorship Hall of Fame”, encouraging more leaders, organisations and individuals to help families struggling to pay for health cover.
The initiative allows sponsors to make contributions on behalf of households that cannot afford regular payments, helping eligible beneficiaries access healthcare under the national insurance framework.
SHA accompanied the recognition with the message, “Together, protecting families from financial hardship,” and urged more potential sponsors to participate.
The authority’s sponsorship portal also publishes beneficiary figures and amounts paid for participating sponsors. Its listings include lawmakers such as Kabete MP James Githua Kamau Wamacukuru, whose entry records 881 beneficiaries and KSh6.59 million paid, and Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi, whose entry records 667 beneficiaries and KSh5.12 million paid.
However, the figures displayed on the portal should be read alongside the relevant sponsorship entries, as the notice recognising the 35 lawmakers does not itself specify the amount contributed by each MP or the number of families covered through the particular recognition.
MPs recognised across the country
The lawmakers named in the notice represent constituencies in different parts of Kenya, reflecting participation in the sponsorship initiative across the country.
Those listed are David Gikaria of Nakuru Town East; James Githua Wamacukuru of Kabete; Julius Kipletting Rutto of Kesses; Omar Mwinyi of Changamwe; Robert Basil Ngui of Yatta; David Kiplagat of Soy; Janet Jepkemboi Sitienei of Turbo; Oscar Sudi of Kapseret; Samuel Kinuthia Gachobe of Subukia; and Paul Abuor of Rongo.
The list also includes Eve Akinyi Obara of Kabondo Kasipul; John Kiarie Waweru of Dagoretti South; Marianne Kitany of Aldai; Patrick Munene Ntwiga of Chuka/Igambang’ombe; Timothy Wanyonyi Wetangula of Westlands; Mwangi Kiunjuri of Laikipia East; John Kiragu Chege of Limuru; Mark Samuel Mwenje of Embakasi West; Paul Kibet Chebor of Rongai; and Francis Kipyegon Arap Sigei of Sotik.
Other lawmakers named are Gideon Mutemi Mulyungi of Mwingi Central; John Machua Waithaka of Kiambu; Martin Peters Owino of Ndhiwa; Paul Kibichiy Biego of Chesumei; Mohamed Aden Daudi of Wajir East; Kimani Ichung’wah of Kikuyu; John Okwisia Makali of Kanduyi; Naisula Lesuuda of Samburu West; Peter Francis Masara of Suna West; Shakeel Shabbir Ahmad of Kisumu East; Irene Njoki Mrembo of Bahati; Joseph Kimutai Cherorot of Kipkelion East; Nelson Koech of Belgut; Phelix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o, of Lang’ata; and John Njuguna Wanjiku of Kiambaa.
SHA urged other elected leaders to follow suit, asking in its notice: “Who is next? This space could be yours.”
SHA faces challenge of turning registration into active cover
The sponsorship initiative comes as the government’s health insurance programme faces the challenge of converting mass registration into consistent contributions.
Figures presented to the National Assembly Health Committee in August showed that 32,180,494 Kenyans had registered with SHA by July 31, 2026, representing 67.7 per cent of the population. However, only about five million registered members were actively contributing to the scheme, according to reporting by People Daily and Capital FM.
The gap has raised questions about the sustainability of health financing and the ability of households with irregular or limited incomes to maintain active cover.
For families living on casual wages, small businesses or seasonal earnings, even regular contributions can compete with essential expenses such as food, rent, school fees and transport. Sponsorship can help eligible households overcome that immediate financial barrier.
But the programme’s broader impact will depend on how many people are supported, how long their contributions remain active and whether they can access the covered services when they need treatment.
SHA’s recognition of sponsors therefore highlights one way to support vulnerable households, while leaving a wider financing challenge unresolved: how to ensure that millions of registered Kenyans can maintain active health cover without depending solely on external assistance.
How to sponsor a vulnerable household
SHA has directed individuals and organisations interested in sponsoring health insurance contributions to its official sponsorship portal at sponsor.sha.go.ke or its customer service line, 147, for information on the process.
The authority’s programme is intended to mobilise support for households that would otherwise struggle to contribute. Access to particular treatments and services remains subject to the applicable SHA benefits, eligibility requirements and healthcare rules.
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The recognition also comes amid public debate about the experience of patients using the new system. On October 14, comedian and content creator Oga Obinna urged Kenyans to share documented experiences of SHA’s successes and failures after recounting how he paid approximately KSh80,000 for his daughter’s hospital bill. He said he later believed the problem may have involved the hospital rather than the scheme itself.
The distinction is important: helping a household pay its contribution can support access to insurance, but it does not guarantee that every medical bill or service will be covered.
For SHA, the sponsorship drive offers an additional route to supporting financially disadvantaged households. Its longer-term test will be whether such interventions help more Kenyans maintain active cover and obtain healthcare without being pushed into financial hardship.
