Africa-Press – Kenya. Community Health Promoters (CHPs) are set to be enrolled under the Social Health Authority (SHA) programme in a new commitment by the national and county governments.
The decision was adopted during the 12th National and County Government Summit held at State House in Nairobi, where both levels of government agreed to jointly shoulder the cost of health insurance premiums for CHPs.
The move is in a bid to cushion all the 107,000 CHPs because they are the vital frontline workforce in the delivery of primary healthcare services across the 47 counties in the country.
The deputy president explained that the premiums will be shared equally between the national government and counties, confirming a shared responsibility approach to safeguarding the welfare of community-level health workers.
He said, “Under the new arrangement, each of the 107,000 CHPs will receive comprehensive medical insurance cover through SHA, in recognition of their role, and the cost of the insurance will be borne by the National and County governments on a 50/50 basis sharing agreement.”
He further said that this is in addition to the stipend that the CHPs have been getting for the service offered across the country.
He emphasised that CHPs have been instrumental in driving registration and uptake of SHA, and described them as the backbone of Kenya’s universal health coverage agenda.
Kindiki noted that many Kenyans have accessed care early because CHPs routinely visit homes, monitor health indicators and link patients to facilities, helping to prevent complications and deaths.
The Deputy President also disclosed that the summit resolved to work on transitioning CHPs and other universal health coverage staff to more secure, permanent and pensionable terms.
Relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Health, the Public Service Commission, the Council of Governors and the National Treasury, have been tasked to develop a framework to guide this transition.
He added that this effort is part of a broader plan to stabilise the health workforce and ensure continuity of services at the community level.
In a bid to support county service delivery more broadly, Kindiki further indicated that the National Treasury will expedite the release of county funds, with a commitment to disburse payroll-related funds earlier in the month.
He said this would help counties meet their obligations on time, including payments linked to CHPs and other health personnel, thereby reinforcing the reforms under SHA and universal health coverage.
