Turkana county lags in SHA registration as only 24 per cent enrolled

Turkana GovernorJeremiah Lomurkai speaking after a meeting with development partners

Turkana County has recorded the lowest registration levels for the Social Health Authority, prompting Governor Jeremiah Lomurkai to direct the health department to intensify sensitisation and enrolment.

Assistant director for Health Records and Information, Peter Etee, reviewed the current data, outlining that from a population of 926,463, only 222,259 people have enrolled, translating to just 24 per cent coverage. 

Etee said utilising political influence through grassroots leaders, especially MCAs, will help scale up registration.

“The governor has directed that we all team up so that we sensitise our people on the benefits of SHA and help them to register en masse,” Etee said.

He spoke as over 282 heads of health facilities and subcounty health management teams were sensitised on healthcare financing management to enhance financial autonomy and service delivery. 

A training exercise was hosted for staff from several subcounties, aimed at empowering healthcare workers with knowledge on planning, budgeting and financial auditing in alignment with the Facility Improvement Fund (FIF) and SHA Acts.

During the exercise, deputy director for medical services Bonventure Ameyo said the training would ensure a reliable flow of funds and create incentives for quality care. 

“Knowledge on health funding ensures timely procurement of essential medicines that will reduce stockouts and enable patients to access these health commodities and services,” he said. 

He also emphasised that facilities must conduct timely licence renewals to facilitate SHA registration.

Health financing specialist at the Council of Governors George Wafula, outlined resource mobilisation as a key strategy. 

Wafula added that better financial management at the facility level will lead to improved planning and transparency. 

“This will foster a culture of performance and ensure that funds are well-managed and accounted for,” he said.

Livingstone Eyanae, the assistant director for accounts, advised trainees on the importance of adhering to all financial accounting procedures and standards as required by the law.