You register for the Social Health Authority (SHA) for free by dialing *147# on your phone, on the sha.go.ke portal (the Afya Yangu system), or at any SHA or Huduma branch. Registration itself costs nothing. What you then pay is the contribution: 2.75 percent of your gross income each month, with a minimum of KES 300 and no upper cap. SHA replaced NHIF on 1 October 2024, so if you were on NHIF you still need to register and update your profile on SHA.
Register on your phone with *147#
Dial *147#, enter your national ID number, confirm your details, add your dependants, and set your PIN. This works on any phone with no internet, which is why it is the most common route. You get an SMS once your profile is created.
Register online on the SHA portal
Go to sha.go.ke (the Afya Yangu system), sign up with your ID and phone number, verify the one-time code, complete your household profile and add dependants. The online route is best if you need to upload documents or manage a family profile.
Employed, self-employed, or informal
If you are formally employed, your employer deducts and remits the 2.75 percent for you, but you still need your own SHA profile. If you are self-employed or in the informal sector, you declare your income and pay the 2.75 percent, or the KES 300 minimum, yourself each month by the paybill. Students, dependants and indigent households have separate pathways set by SHA.
What SHA costs and how to pay
The contribution is 2.75 percent of gross monthly income, minimum KES 300, no maximum. Someone earning KES 20,000 pays KES 550, someone on KES 50,000 pays KES 1,375, and anyone earning below about KES 11,000 pays the KES 300 floor. Pay through the official SHA paybill each month before it falls due. See the SHA paybill and step-by-step payment on our SHA paybill guide.
Model your own monthly contribution with the SHA contribution calculator (deployed as sha-contribution-kenya).
Common SHA problems, and how to fix them
This is where most people get stuck, and where the official pages do not help. If your registration fails or hangs at the OTP stage, wait a few minutes and retry on *147#, since the portal times out under load. If you show as registered but not active, it usually means no contribution has been received yet; pay the current month and it activates. To add or remove a dependant, use the household profile on sha.go.ke, not *147#. To update your income or phone number, use "update profile" on the portal. If a hospital says you are not covered, check that your latest contribution has cleared and that your profile status reads active before your visit.
SHA vs NHIF, quickly
SHA replaced NHIF. The old fixed NHIF bands are gone; SHA is the 2.75 percent income-based contribution. Your NHIF history does not carry over automatically, so you must register and contribute under SHA. Because SHA is the mandatory floor rather than full cover, many Kenyans pair it with a private medical plan; the SHA-vs-NHIF differences (bands, entitlements, and what carries over) are covered in SHA vs NHIF: what changed.
SHA registration, frequently asked questions
How long does SHA approval take?
Registration is usually instant on *147# or the portal. Your cover activates once your first contribution is received.
How much does it cost to register for SHA?
Registration is free. The monthly contribution is 2.75% of income, minimum KES 300.
How do I register if I am self-employed?
Register on *147# or sha.go.ke, declare your income, and pay the 2.75% or the KES 300 minimum yourself each month.
What do I need to register?
Your national ID and a Safaricom or Airtel line. Add dependants with their ID or birth-certificate details.
Is SHA the same as NHIF?
No. SHA replaced NHIF from October 2024 and uses a 2.75% income-based contribution instead of the old fixed bands.
Verified line: Contribution rate and channels from the Social Health Insurance Act and SHA. Contribution figures are set by law; confirm the current paybill and any portal changes on final publish. Last checked 8 September 2026.