How Kenya's SHA Covers University Students Replacing NHIF

What SHA replaced and when

The Social Health Authority (SHA) took over from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) under the Social Health Insurance Act, assented to in November 2023, with SHA operations and the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) starting on October 1, 2024 . SHA runs three separate funds: the Primary Health Care Fund for basic outpatient services, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) for wider inpatient and outpatient cover, and an Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund for conditions such as cancer and kidney failure that need ongoing treatment.

If you registered with NHIF before the changeover, that number does not transfer automatically. You need a new SHA registration to get active cover.

Registering as a student

Registration is free and takes a few minutes at afyayangu.go.ke or by dialing *147# from your phone. You need your national ID or birth certificate for the process. Once registered, you get an SHA number tied to your national identification, which you use at any SHA-accredited facility, including university health centers that take part in the scheme.

Some universities now list SHA registration alongside other medical clearance steps for new intake, so register before reporting for your first semester to avoid delays with admission paperwork or clinic visits once classes start.

Staying on a parent's cover as a dependant

If you are between 18 and 24, still enrolled full-time at a university or college, and not earning an independent income (a scholarship, bursary or study grant does not count as disqualifying income), SHA allows you to remain a dependant under a parent or guardian's cover rather than paying your own contribution. You still need to register yourself as an SHA member first before your parent or guardian links you as a dependant on their account, according to SHA's guidance on dependants above 18 .

Once you turn 25, or if you start earning an independent income before that, you fall out of the dependant category and need your own contribution to stay covered.

How much you pay if contributing on your own

SHA uses a graduated contribution model rather than NHIF's old flat rate. Contributions scale with income, and anyone without a verifiable salary, including many full-time students without a job, pays a minimum of KSh 300 a month. If you have part-time income or a scholarship that counts as earnings, check the current SHA contribution bands before you set up your payment, since the percentage-based formula applies once you have a documented income.

What SHA covers for a student on campus

At an accredited facility, SHA covers outpatient consultations and basic diagnostics under the Primary Health Care Fund, and wider inpatient care, surgery, and specialist referrals under SHIF. Chronic and emergency conditions fall under the separate emergency fund, which matters if you develop a condition that needs ongoing treatment during your studies. Confirm which facilities near your campus are SHA-accredited, since not every clinic or hospital that took NHIF automatically carries an SHA contract.

If you run into registration problems

SHA's rollout replaced a system many facilities and students had used for years, and mismatched details between your national ID and old NHIF records are a common issue. If your registration does not go through online, visit an SHA office or your county health office with your ID rather than trying to register multiple times, since duplicate attempts complicate your file.

Before you report to university

• Register for your own SHA number, even if a parent plans to add you as a dependant

• Get your SHA number and, where issued, your SHA card or virtual card ready alongside your admission documents

• Ask your university's student welfare or health services office which nearby facilities accept SHA before you need care