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How to update your SHA details: name, phone, dependants, employer (Kenya 2026)

Update your SHA phone, email, address, dependants, or employer via afyayangu.go.ke. Name changes, ID changes, and marital status require a SHA branch visit with supporting documents.

AO
by Reviewed by Michael Mwangi 9 min read Updated 26 August 2026Verified 26 Aug 2026

What can be updated, and where

Online (afyayangu.go.ke, or USSD *147#)

  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Physical address
  • Dependants (add, view, sometimes remove)
  • Employer link (indirect, see below)

Branch or Huduma Centre only

  • Name change (marriage, deed poll, correction)
  • National ID number change (reissued ID, ID error correction)
  • Marital status change (if it affects household composition)
  • Merging duplicate SHA records (usually from the NHIF migration)
  • Correcting biometrics after IPRS re-enrolment

Change your phone number

The most common update. Your SHA phone number is where OTPs, contribution reminders, and coverage-status SMS land.

  1. Log into afyayangu.go.ke with your National ID and current OTP.
  2. Open Profile, find the phone-number field, click Edit.
  3. Enter the new number.
  4. SHA sends an OTP to the new number for confirmation. In some flows, an OTP also goes to the old number for security.
  5. Enter the OTP(s). The update is instant.

If you no longer have the old number: call 0800 720 601 with your National ID. The agent verifies you against additional identity questions (birth year, dependant details, most recent contribution date) and updates the number manually. Or visit a SHA branch with your ID.

Add or update dependants

Dependants share cover under your single SHA contribution. Add or remove them online where possible.

  1. Log into afyayangu.go.ke.
  2. Open the Household or Dependants section.
  3. Click Add. Enter the dependant's Birth Certificate number (child) or National ID (adult dependant like a non-earning spouse or an elderly parent).
  4. Confirm the relationship.
  5. Upload supporting documents where prompted (marriage certificate for spouse, birth certificate for a child if not already on record).

Removing a dependant online is supported for simple cases (child ageing out, spouse now separately registered). Complex removals (dependant on a disputed marriage, contested guardianship) go to a SHA branch. Full detail on who counts as a dependant: SHA household coverage.

Change your name

Name changes on SHA follow name changes on your National ID. IPRS is the source of truth; SHA does not accept a name change that is not already on IPRS.

  1. Update your name on your National ID first, via Huduma Kenya or the Directorate of Immigration and Registration of Persons. Bring the supporting document (marriage certificate, deed poll, or gazette notice).
  2. Wait for the new ID to be issued and for IPRS to reflect the change.
  3. Visit a SHA branch with the new ID and the supporting document. SHA updates its record to match IPRS.
  4. Typically 3 to 7 working days for the SHA record to reflect after the branch visit.

Change your National ID number

Rare. Applies if your ID number was corrected (usually because of an original clerical error) or reissued under a different serial. This is a Huduma Kenya path first, then a SHA branch visit with:

  • The old ID (or a copy, if surrendered).
  • The new ID.
  • Any Huduma/IPRS documentation confirming the change.

SHA merges the contribution history to the new ID number. Timing: 5 to 10 working days.

Update your employer link

For Tier 1 salaried employees. Your employer link is what routes payroll deductions into your SHA record.

When you start a new job. Your new employer registers you at employers.sha.go.ke against their corporate SHA account. You do not usually need to member-side action anything; the link appears in afyayangu.go.ke as soon as the first remittance batch reconciles.

When afyayangu shows the wrong employer. Usually a Tier 1 remittance linking issue on the employer side. Ask your new employer's HR to confirm your National ID and SHA member number are correctly on their payroll file. Fix flow: SHA payment not reflecting.

Documentation checklist for a branch visit

If your update requires a SHA branch or Huduma Centre visit, bring:

  • Original National ID (not a photocopy).
  • The supporting document for the change (marriage certificate for a name change, birth certificate for a dependant add, new ID for an ID number change).
  • A phone number that receives SMS (for verification during the visit).
  • Any recent M-PESA confirmation SMS of a SHA contribution, useful for identity confirmation.

Common issues

OTP does not arrive

Usually network delay. Wait 5 minutes, request again. If persistent, see the OTP fix in the SHA registration problems and fixes guide.

Duplicate dependant flagged

SHA prevents adding a dependant who is already registered under someone else. Usually a leftover NHIF entry, someone else was previously covering this dependant, or the dependant later registered themselves independently. Escalate to a SHA branch to resolve the duplicate.

Employer link not updating

First, contact your new employer's HR. They usually need to add or re-add you on the employer portal. Only after HR has confirmed the update, escalate to SHA if the afyayangu.go.ke record still shows the wrong employer after one full monthly remittance cycle.

Portal does not save

Try a different browser, clear cache, and retry. If persistent, use USSD *147# for the update (limited fields) or a Huduma Centre.

Sources

  1. SHA member portal afyayangu.go.ke profile and dependant management, per sha.go.ke navigation, accessed 26 August 2026.
  2. SHA registration and required documents (National ID, Birth Certificate, Alien/Refugee ID): sha.go.ke/register, accessed 26 August 2026.
  3. Employer portal for employer-link updates: employers.sha.go.ke.
  4. SHA branch list, per sha.go.ke/contactus, accessed 26 August 2026.
  5. SHA toll-free helpline 0800 720 601, per sha.go.ke contact page.
  6. IPRS (Integrated Population Registration Services) is the Kenyan national ID authority against which SHA validates name and ID changes.