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Aden Duale: No beds have been deleted in SHA system
25th January, 2026 12:01 AM
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has stated that no hospital beds have been digitally deleted from the Social Health Authority (SHA) system.
In a statement on Saturday, January 24, 2026, Duale clarified that SHA does not arbitrarily add or remove beds from its system.
He has explained that the system relies strictly on licensing information issued by health regulators.
“There is no digital deletion of beds in the SHA system. SHA relies on the licence issued by regulators, which specifies the number of authorised beds,” he stated.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, every health facility in Kenya is issued a licence that specifies the number of beds it is authorised to operate.
”Any facility licensed to provide maternity services must have the corresponding number of beds indicated on its licence, and this is what is reflected in the system.”
This comes months after Duale warned all public healthcare facilities across the country against over-admitting patients.
Speaking before the National Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Duale stated that the hospitals will be required to admit patients strictly in accordance with their approved bed capacity.
He further directed the Social Health Authority (SHA) to vet hospital claims based strictly on licensed bed capacity, noting that claims for patients sharing beds will be treated as fraudulent.
“If facilities wish to admit more patients, they must invest in expanding their infrastructure,” said Duale, adding that bed sharing will now be treated as insurance fraud, and institutions involved will be held accountable.
The directive is part of broader reforms under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda aimed at improving standards of care, enforcing accountability, and ensuring patients are treated with dignity.
The session brought together the Ministry of Health, Council of Governors, and other stakeholders for a two-day retreat on UHC implementation.
