The Social Health Authority (SHA) has extended the deadline for healthcare providers to complete the contracting process for the 2026–2029 cycle by 14 days, giving them until October 14, 2026, to finalise the process.
In a notice issued on Thursday, October 1, SHA CEO Mercy Mwangangi said the extension would give healthcare facilities additional time to complete contracting for the new cycle and maintain services to SHA beneficiaries.
The extension covers the period from September 30 to October 14, 2026. However, providers must accept, sign and return an extension agreement through the SHA e-contracting platform within three days of receiving it.
SHA said only providers that accept the extension will continue serving its beneficiaries during the additional 14 days.
“At the end of the 14 days, the existing contracts will lapse and no further extension will be granted. Providers shall be issued with an extension to the HCP contract ending 30th Sep 2026 to cover the 14-day extension period accessed through the e-contracting platform,” Mwangangi said.
Providers that do not accept the extension have been asked to work with their respective SHA county managers to transfer patients receiving ongoing treatment to contracted facilities to ensure continuity of care.
SHA will also establish HAKIKA contracting clinics in every county from Monday, October 5. The clinics will be hosted at SHA county offices, with schedules and details of the documents required from providers to be published on the Authority’s website.
SHA said 10,006 healthcare providers had expressed interest in participating in the 2026–2029 contracting cycle and were at various stages of the process.
The extension comes amid concerns raised by the Council of Governors (CoG) over aspects of SHA’s proposed contracting framework, particularly its application to public health facilities managed by county governments.
In a September 28, 2026 letter addressed to Mwangangi, the Council said it recognised SHA’s mandate to contract healthcare providers but questioned whether the proposed arrangements adequately reflected the constitutional and administrative status of county-owned health facilities.
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The CoG Health Committee, chaired by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, argued that Level 2 to Level 5 public health facilities are owned and managed by county governments and questioned the applicability of some requirements in the proposed contracting framework to such facilities.
Among the concerns raised by the Council was a requirement that a medical superintendent or facility in-charge could sign a contract on behalf of a county government in relation to the procurement of goods, services and works for a facility.
The Council also cited the Facilities Improvement Financing Act, 2023, which provides for county-level financial management arrangements for public health facilities.
Under Section 21, the chief officer is the accounting officer, while a hospital medical superintendent or facility in-charge may receive authority to incur expenditure from the chief officer. Section 22 sets out the procedures governing expenditure from facility improvement financing.
The CoG also raised concerns about the framework’s provisions on verification and enforcement involving regulators and institutions, including the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council, the National Environment Management Authority and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
The Council further said SHA had not adequately consulted county governments on the proposed contracting framework and called for implementation of the new framework to be deferred while its concerns are addressed.
The Council asked SHA to extend the existing contracts while the concerns raised in its letter are considered.
– By John Murunga
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