Nairobi, May 15 -- In the ten months since the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) began operating, the fund has released Sh65.4 billion to 4,718 facilities across the country.

The money, disbursed between July 2025 and April 2026, moved to hospitals, clinics and health centres, from the largest national referral hospitals in Nairobi to small dispensaries serving remote communities. It paid for deliveries and dialysis sessions, cancer treatments, road accident surgeries, outpatient consultations and intensive care admissions.

The disbursement came in two phases. Between July 2025 and February 2026, SHIF paid out Sh40 billion over eight months. In March and April 2026 alone, a further Sh25.4 billion was released.

However, the flow of mo...