The SHA (Social Health Authority) replaced NHIF in October 2024. Every Kenyan resident is expected to register, and hospitals check your SHA status before treating you under the scheme. Registration is free.

Before you start

You need:

  • Your national ID, Maisha Card or foreigner certificate number.
  • The phone number registered in your name, because the one-time codes go to it.
  • Your spouse’s and children’s details if you want to add them - ID numbers for adults, birth certificate numbers for children.

Register by phone (*147#)

This works on any phone, without data.

  1. Dial *147# and choose SHA registration.
  2. Enter your ID number and your first name exactly as it appears on the ID.
  3. Accept the terms and set a four-digit PIN.
  4. Answer the questions on marital status and employment.

You should get a confirmation SMS. If the name does not match, it is usually a spelling difference with the registration records - try the name exactly as it is printed on the card.

Register online

  1. Go to afyayangu.go.ke (or sha.go.ke, which links to it).
  2. Choose Register individual and your ID type.
  3. Enter your ID number and phone number, then the code sent by SMS.
  4. Complete your profile, including your household.

The Afya Yangu site is also where you add dependants later, update your details and see your contribution history.

What you pay

  • Employed: 2.75% of gross pay, deducted by your employer.
  • Self-employed or informal: 2.75% of household income as assessed by SHA’s means test, and at least KES 300 a month.
  • Unable to pay: assessed through the same means test; the government may pay for the poorest households.

Employees do not need to pay separately: the deduction on your payslip is your contribution. Check it appears on your statement. Work out your net pay with the salary calculator.

Self-employed people complete a short means-testing questionnaire on Afya Yangu (under your profile, set income to self-employed). SHA uses the answers to set your contribution. Contributions are due in advance, and cover only starts once you are paid up, so do not wait until you need a hospital.

Paying

Pay through SHA’s M-Pesa paybill as shown on the Afya Yangu site or by dialling *147#. Use your ID number as the account number, and keep the confirmation messages.

Checking your status

  • By phone: dial *147# and choose the option to check status.
  • Online: log in to Afya Yangu and look at your membership and contribution record.

A hospital will usually check your status at the front desk. If you are shown as inactive, the most common reasons are unpaid contributions, an employer that has not remitted deductions, or dependants who were never added.

Adding your family

Your spouse and children are covered under your contribution once they are added as dependants. Add them on Afya Yangu, or at a Huduma Centre if the online form will not accept their details.

What SHA covers

SHA pays for primary care at registered facilities, a set of hospital services, and emergency and chronic-illness funds. It does not cover everything, and not every private hospital in Nairobi accepts it for every service. Ask the hospital what SHA will pay before a planned procedure. See Healthcare in Nairobi.

Next