Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale/FILEThe government has launched a nationwide biometric registration exercise targeting dependants aged between seven and 17 years under the Social Health Authority (SHA) system, in a move aimed at strengthening health records management and service delivery.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the initiative is part of efforts to build a fully integrated digital health identification system that will improve access to care and reduce fraud in the health sector. He said the rollout builds on an earlier adult biometric registration programme and represents a key step in consolidating Kenya’s digital health infrastructure.
“As part of this initiative, we are expanding SHA biometric registration to dependants aged 7 to 17 years,” Duale said.
The government has deployed approximately 8,067 biometric scanners across public health facilities nationwide to support the exercise.
Duale said the system will allow children without national identity cards to be registered directly at points of care and linked to their principal beneficiaries in real time. He explained that the digital system will create a unique and secure link between each child and their medical records, eliminating duplicate registrations and reducing cases of patient misidentification.
“A child's medical history, immunisation logs and treatment records will be instantly accessible at any SHA-affiliated facility nationwide,” he said.
The CS said the system will also improve efficiency in hospitals by reducing waiting times and administrative burdens on health workers.
He added that biometric verification will enhance security within the health system by ensuring that only legitimate beneficiaries access services.
Duale said Kenya is positioning itself as a regional leader in digital health innovation through the rollout of the system. Where fingerprint verification is not successful, he said, alternative verification methods, including One-Time Password (OTP) systems linked to caregivers’ mobile numbers, will be used to ensure no child is left behind.
The CS said the expansion of biometric registration will also strengthen data integrity and improve decision-making in healthcare delivery.
He officially flagged off the nationwide exercise and oversaw the handover of biometric registration equipment to selected health facilities.
Duale said the government remains committed to strengthening health system efficiency and ensuring that digital tools support equitable access to healthcare services across the country.
