Health Providers Race to Meet SHA Deadline
The Social Health Authority (SHA) has given hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers more time to complete new contracts, in a move aimed at preventing disruption of medical services for millions of beneficiaries.
The health facilities now have until October 14, 2026, to complete the contracting process for the new 2026–2029 HAKIKA cycle. The contracts for healthcare providers expired on September 30, but SHA says they will remain valid during the 14-day extension period.
Facilities that accept the extension will continue treating patients registered under the scheme and will be eligible to submit claims for reimbursement. However, providers that choose not to accept the extension will have to work with SHA county managers to transfer patients who are already receiving treatment to other facilities that have completed the contracting process.
SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi said providers accepting the extension must confirm their acceptance, sign and return the agreement within three days through the SHA e-contracting platform. Services to SHA beneficiaries will continue only in facilities that accept the extension.
The additional time is meant to allow healthcare providers to complete the requirements for joining the HAKIKA cycle, which runs from October 1, 2026, to June 30, 2029. The three-year arrangement sets the rules governing services offered to SHA members, benefit packages, negotiated tariffs, reimbursement terms, claims processing, reporting requirements and quality standards.
There was a raised concern by health care providers over delayed claims payments, deductions resulting from claims audits and conditions attached to SHA’s obligation to settle claims.
Providers had also reported challenges during the previous 2024–2026 cycle, including disputes over tariffs, delayed reimbursements, pre-authorization requirements, system reliability and the process of being formally contracted by SHA.
The Ministry of Health says the new framework is intended to provide clearer rules on reimbursement, benefits, service quality and the handling of disputes between the authority and healthcare providers.
Providers complete the process online by submitting required documents, verifying licenses, providing service and banking details and tracking their applications through the SHA e-contracting platform.
SHA had earlier warned that facilities without completed agreements for the new cycle would lose access to beneficiaries from October 1 and have their provider portal access switched off. The extension therefore gives facilities a final window to complete the process while allowing patients already under treatment to continue receiving care without unnecessary interruptions.