Vihiga County Becomes First to Sign onto SHA Public Officers Medical Scheme
𝐕𝐢𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚, 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 - 𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
– Vihiga County has made history by becoming the first county in Kenya to enroll its employees into the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMS) under the Social Health Authority (SHA), marking a major milestone in the government’s push to fast-track Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The agreement, signed between the Ministry of Health through SHA and the Vihiga County Government, will see more than 3,032 county employees access comprehensive medical cover beginning . Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale, who led the Ministry’s delegation, described the development as a significant achievement under the Taifa Care Model.
Alongside the contract, Hon. Duale also presided over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SHA, the Ministry of Health, and the County Government of Vihiga to strengthen access to affordable, equitable, and quality healthcare for all residents. A Joint Implementation Committee will be established to coordinate activities under the MoU.
The CS said the delegation also discussed strategies to safeguard maternal health by expanding access to antenatal, safe delivery (both normal and caesarean), and postnatal care. He reiterated the Ministry’s firm stance against malpractice and fraud within SHA, remarking that “protecting public resources and ensuring fairness in access to healthcare is central to UHC.”
Hon. Duale further noted that reforms in the health sector are being anchored on digitization to strengthen accountability. These include biometric registration, already operational in Levels 4, 5, and 6 facilities and being scaled to lower levels, as well as the rollout of Hospital Management Information Systems (HMIS) across counties. These systems will allow real-time patient data tracking to curb fraud, billing irregularities, and ghost records while raising professional standards in service delivery.
The agreements signed , he added, mark a bold step towards people-centered healthcare, setting the pace for other counties and reinforcing SHA as a cornerstone of Kenya’s UHC reforms.