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Guide

How to pay a hospital bill in Kenya 2026

The order to do things in: SHA first, then the hospital's own payment channel, with what to do when the bill is bigger than M-PESA allows or bigger than you can pay.

DW
by Reviewed by Josephine Njeri 6 min read Updated 30 October 2026Verified 30 Oct 2026

Step by step

  1. Check SHA. Look up your cover at eligibility.sha.go.ke with your ID number. If your contributions are behind, see SHA arrears.
  2. Ask for an itemised bill showing what SHA or your insurer has paid and what is left for you.
  3. Get the payment reference from the hospital's billing office, not from a phone call or text.
  4. Pay through the hospital's official channel and keep every M-PESA message and receipt until you have the discharge papers.

Public hospitals

Kenyatta National Hospital switched to eCitizen, the government's single payment system, in December 2023 (The Star). KUTRRH announced the same move in November 2023 (KUTRRH). At KNH, in-patient bills go to the Malipo Centre for clearance, and out-patients pay at the cash point where they were served (KNH).

Payment details for each hospital, with how far we have verified them, are on its own page: Kenyatta National Hospital, KUTRRH and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. For how eCitizen payments work, see paying government services by M-PESA.

Private hospitals

Private hospitals each have their own paybill or bank account, and may ask for a deposit at admission unless SHA or an insurer has approved cover. Use the details printed on your bill or given at the hospital's cash office, and compare them with the hospital's page in our directory: Aga Khan University Hospital, The Nairobi Hospital, Mater, Karen Hospital, MP Shah and Kijabe. If the two do not match, ask the hospital before paying.

Bills bigger than the M-PESA limit

M-PESA allows KES 250,000 per transaction and KES 500,000 a day; see M-PESA limits. For a larger bill:

  • Split it into payments of up to KES 250,000, over more than one day if needed.
  • Ask relatives to pay parts from their own M-PESA lines, all quoting the same bill reference.
  • Pay by bank transfer or at the bank to the hospital's official account, and send the slip to the billing office.

If you cannot pay

Ask for the social worker before the bill is finalised. At KNH, the ward social worker decides whether a patient qualifies for credit (KNH). A hospital cannot lawfully hold you until you pay; your rights are explained in can a hospital detain you over a bill.

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