SHA headquarters in Upper Hill, NairobiThe Social Health Authority has appointed 82 new Principal Officers in a move aimed at strengthening its management and operational capacity as the country accelerates the rollout of the Social Health Insurance framework.
The appointments, announced in a notice dated December 11, 2025, follow a competitive and transparent recruitment process that began on July 29, 2025.
According to the authority, the new officers have been deployed across a wide range of functional areas critical to the delivery of health insurance services.
Legal Services received three Principal Officers, while Benefits Management was allocated two officers.
Supply Chain Management and Planning and Linkages each attracted two appointments, underscoring the authority’s focus on efficiency, coordination and forward planning.
In the regulatory and compliance function, two officers were appointed under Registration and Compliance at the national level, alongside two others tasked with Registration and Compliance for County Coordination.
Fund Management emerged as one of the most reinforced departments, with six new Principal Officers appointed to oversee the mobilisation, allocation and accountability of resources.
Finance and Accounts received two officers, while Administration was similarly strengthened with two appointments.
Human Resource Management and Development also gained two Principal Officers, reflecting the authority’s emphasis on internal capacity building and workforce development.
Customer-facing and systems support functions were bolstered through the appointment of one Principal Officer for Customer Experience and one for Information Communication Technology.
Corporate Communication received one officer, while Provider Management was reinforced with two Principal Officers to support engagement with healthcare providers.
The authority also appointed three Principal Officers under Internal Audit to enhance oversight and risk management, alongside one officer for Records Management and one Principal Office Administrator.
The largest single cohort, comprising 26 officers, was appointed under the combined designation of Registration and Compliance and Principal Claims Management Officer for County Operations, highlighting SHA’s focus on decentralised service delivery and claims processing at the county level.
The appointments build on earlier staffing decisions announced by the SHA board on October 9, 2025, when the authority named 16 new deputy directors and nine Principal Claims Management Officers.
Those appointments, which also followed the July 29 recruitment launch, were described by the board as a significant step in strengthening SHA’s leadership and management capacity as it continues implementing the Social Health Insurance Act.
SHA is responsible for pooling health funds, managing benefits, processing claims and ensuring accountability across the healthcare financing chain.
SHA leadership, led by board chairman Abdi Mohamed, has consistently maintained that the ongoing overhaul of the institution’s management structure signals readiness to deliver on the government’s universal health coverage vision.
The board said the restructuring is designed to streamline internal processes, improve service delivery and enhance confidence among stakeholders by ensuring efficient use of resources.
Further underscoring its expansion drive, the authority on October 28 announced 212 job vacancies across various departments, inviting qualified, visionary and result-driven professionals to apply.
The advertised positions included 54 Officer Administrators, 56 Drivers, 22 Claims Management Officers, 15 Customer Experience Officers, six Principal Claims Management Officers and five Office Administrators.
Senior roles were also opened up, including one vacancy each for Assistant Director, Claims Management, and Assistant Director, Corporate Communication.
With the latest appointments, SHA says it is better positioned to operationalise reforms under the Social Health Insurance Act and translate policy into effective service delivery as Kenya pursues universal health coverage.
