The majority of the 21 million Kenyans who have registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA) are youth, with counties from the Mt. Kenya region dominating the top five positions in registration numbers.
According to the latest report by the SHA Secretariat dated 2nd April 2025, the average age of new members is 34 years, signaling a shift in mindset, with young people taking charge of their health and futures.
Dominating the top five counties with the highest registration rates are Nyeri and Kirinyaga, both in Mt. Kenya, ranking third and fifth, respectively.
Nyeri, the political home turf of former Deputy President turned government critic Rigathi Gachagua, has registered 46.6% of its target population. Kirinyaga follows closely at 44.1%.
Interestingly, these figures come amid growing criticism of President William Ruto’s administration from a section of Mt. Kenya leaders. But on the ground, the message from local governors has been clear: when it comes to TaifaCare registration, politics must take a back seat.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, a close ally of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has emerged as a vocal champion of the Social Health Authority (SHA) rollout in Mt. Kenya.
A resurfaced video of Mwalimu Kahiga passionately urging residents to register for TaifaCare went viral just days before President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki embarked on a weeklong development tour of the region.
In the video, Governor Kahiga calls on the people of Nyeri to put politics aside and prioritise their health, a message that appears to have struck a chord with thousands and injected fresh energy into the county’s mass registration campaign.
“Tunatafautisha mambo, tunaweka siasa kando na kufikiria juu yetu (loosely translated: We must separate issues, and put politics aside and put our interests first,” Governor Kahiga said.
“Is it President Ruto who will need treatment, or is it you? Is it Gachagua or you? Is it Mwalimu Kahiga or you?” he posed. “We need to think about our own interests as a people because at the moment we only have SHA and we have no other alternative,” he added.
The governor launched the county’s SHA mass registration drive on February 5 at the Nyeri Town Health Centre, calling on locals to sign up in large numbers.
In the neighboring Kirinyaga County, Governor Anne Waiguru has also been a vocal advocate, crediting her county’s high registration numbers to aggressive mobilisation.
“I am not used to being number two,” she quipped. “Kirinyaga must be number one in SHA registration. We are not slowing down.”
Nationally, Mombasa County leads, having registered 657,612 of the target 1,190,987 population, which translates to 55.2 %, while Bomet County is number two, having registered 47.5% of its targeted population.
Elgeyo-Marakwet County is number four, with 205,804 of the targeted population of 454,480 (45.3 percent) having registered.
Governor Wisley Rotich of Elgeyo Marakwet underscored the programme’s growing credibility. “There’s a time to criticise the government, but now is the time to act,” he said. “NHIF has been there for close to 60 years; it did not pay for Cancer treatment.
As a governor, I can stand here today and forge for SHA. Without SHA, a self-sustaining health system in Kenya is not possible. I can tell you the harambees for medical appeals have started reducing. That’s progress.”
Meanwhile, Bomet Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok reported that his county had surpassed its monthly target. “We have made huge strides,” he said in a recent address in Boito, Konoin. “Many have already benefited from SHA, but we are not stopping until we hit 100%.”
Marsabit (13.2%), Turkana (12.6%), Garissa (12.3%), West Pokot (11.9%) and Samburu (10.7%) occupy the bottom five positions, having registered the least number of people.
