County public health facilities will continue serving Social Health Authority (SHA) beneficiaries as the government moves to finalise a new contracting framework for the 2026–2029 HAKIKA cycle.
The Ministry of Health, Council of Governors and SHA reached the agreement following consultations held at Afya House, with existing contracts extended until October 14, 2026.
Officials warned that the extension will not be renewed after the deadline, placing pressure on eligible county facilities to complete the new contracting process.
Under the new framework, contracts will be divided into master terms and individual agreements covering Primary Healthcare, Social Health Insurance, Emergency and Chronic Illness and the Public Officers Medical Scheme.
County facilities will sign and manage their contracts directly, with payments channelled through individual Facility Improvement Financing accounts.
The agreement also sets a 90-day timeline for SHA to pay clean claims after they are received. Claims will be processed chronologically, while facilities must be notified by the 14th of every month where a payment cannot be made.
Where clean claims remain unpaid because of insufficient funds, the outstanding amounts will be treated as certified liabilities and carried forward to the next appropriation.
Facilities that are yet to obtain some regulatory documents have also been given a 30-day grace period. The arrangement covers documents such as NSSF, NEMA, fire safety, NCPWD and ODPC certificates, allowing facilities to proceed with conditional contracting as they complete compliance requirements.
To speed up the process, SHA has established contracting support clinics across all counties, which will operate until the October 14 deadline to assist public health facilities with their applications.
A joint technical committee comprising SHA, the Council of Governors and county health departments will monitor implementation and provide weekly updates on the progress of facilities in each county.
The Council of Governors has further committed to supporting all Level 5 hospitals to complete their transition to the Health Management Information System by October 30, 2026.
The new arrangements are intended to ensure public health facilities remain operational for SHA beneficiaries while counties and the national government complete the transition to the 2026–2029 contracting cycle.
