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SHA means testing explained: how Tier 2 non-salaried premiums are set (Kenya 2026)

The Means Testing Instrument at afyayangu.go.ke is what SHA uses to set your Tier 2 monthly premium. What it evaluates, what it does not publish, and how to take the assessment honestly.

AO
by Reviewed by Michael Mwangi 12 min read Updated 12 September 2026Verified 12 Sept 2026

Who this affects

SHA classifies contributors into two tiers under the Social Health Insurance Act 2023:

  • Tier 1, salaried. Employer deducts 2.75% of gross pay each month before PAYE and remits via employers.sha.go.ke by the 9th of the following month (per SHA consultant guidance sourced from SHA). No means test required.
  • Tier 2, non-salaried. Everyone else. Freelancers, business owners, informal sector workers, farmers, mama mbogas, boda riders on their own bikes, small-shop owners, artists, retirees not on a taxable pension. Their premium is set through the SHA Means Testing Instrument.

Practically, Tier 2 covers the majority of adult Kenyans, given the size of the informal economy. If you do not receive a payslip from a registered employer that already deducts SHA, you are Tier 2 and the means test applies to you.

What the Means Testing Instrument evaluates

Per sha.go.ke/means-testing (accessed 26 August 2026), the instrument captures the following categories:

  • Household composition. Number of adults, number of children, number of dependents you are responsible for.
  • Housing type. Owned outright, mortgaged, rented, shared, or temporary/informal structure.
  • Services. Access to piped water vs borehole vs kiosk; grid electricity vs solar vs none; connected sanitation vs pit latrine vs shared.
  • Assets. Livestock (kind and count), land (size and use), vehicles (personal or commercial), business ownership, financial assets.
  • Education level of household head. Highest level completed.
  • Employment status. Self-employed, informal casual, unemployed, retired.

What is NOT published, and why estimates online are guesses

SHA does not publish the scoring algorithm behind the Means Testing Instrument. Which specific answer combinations map to which premium bands, and how much weight sits on each input, is not in the public record on sha.go.ke as of 26 August 2026.

Kenyans have reported Tier 2 outcomes ranging from KES 300 per month (the published floor) upward, but there is no primary-source public breakdown of how inputs map to premiums. Media coverage and secondary sources have circulated averages and typical figures; treat those cautiously. In particular, the KES 592 national average informal-sector premium figure that circulates in secondary media is not verified against a SHA primary source and we do not repeat it here.

The consequence: any online tool that claims to output your official Tier 2 premium is guessing. That includes paybillke's own Tier 2 estimator on the SHA contribution calculator , it applies the published 2.75% rate to your declared household income and floors at KES 300. That is a budgeting guide, not a compliance decision. The authoritative number is the one afyayangu.go.ke returns after you complete the assessment.

How to actually take the assessment

  1. Register at sha.go.ke/register. You need your National ID, a Kenyan phone number that will receive an OTP, and details of dependents you want covered.
  2. Log into afyayangu.go.ke. Use the same National ID as your username. First-time users complete an identity verification step.
  3. Open the Means Testing section. The instrument is a structured questionnaire. Set aside 30 to 45 minutes and answer accurately.
  4. Submit and receive your premium quote. The system returns your monthly SHA premium.
  5. Pay via M-PESA paybill 200222 with your National ID as the account number. Full mechanics on our SHA paybill page. If payment does not reflect within 72 hours, see our payment-not-reflecting recovery guide.

If you disagree with your assessment

SHA has published an appeals mechanism via sha.go.ke, though the specific desk contacts and timelines are not fully published on the SHA site as of 26 August 2026. Verify the current appeals path directly with SHA before filing:

  • Toll-free helpline: 0800 720 601.
  • Physical visit: SHA Building, Community Area, Ragati Road, P.O. Box 30443-00100, Nairobi (per sha.go.ke, accessed 26 August 2026).
  • Any Huduma Centre for in-person assistance with an appeal or a re-assessment request.

In practice, a re-assessment is more common and faster than a formal appeal. If your circumstances have changed materially since your original assessment (a dependent moved out, a business closed, a household breadwinner lost employment), request a re-assessment at afyayangu.go.ke rather than filing an appeal against the original score.

Timeline for reassessment

SHA has published annual reassessment as the default cadence for Tier 2 members. A material household change also triggers eligibility for immediate reassessment. Do not wait for a hospital admission to discover your assessment is stale, update your record via afyayangu.go.ke as soon as circumstances change, and complete an annual review even if nothing has changed.

Consequences of not completing the assessment

Not completing the means test does not exempt you from SHA. Membership is mandatory for all Kenyan residents under the Social Health Insurance Act 2023. Practical consequences of skipping the assessment:

  • Default to KES 300 minimum. Members without a completed assessment default to the published KES 300 floor.
  • Coverage tier may be affected. Some benefit tiers and dependent-eligibility rules require a completed assessment to unlock. Cite carefully: SHA does not publish a complete public matrix of which benefits are gated behind assessment status.
  • Retroactive assessment on claim. If you submit a claim without a completed assessment, SHA may require you to complete it before the claim is processed.

Context worth knowing

Media coverage of SHA in 2025 and 2026 has reported operational strain: KES 11 billion lost to fraud between October 2024 and April 2025, 31 private facilities closed, and the former SHA CEO among nine arrested during a subsequent investigation, as reported by Kenyan press, cited by source and date rather than treated as SHA-official positions. Rejection of about 1 in 5 claims and KES 3.43 billion declined has also been reported, with missing documentation the most-cited cause. Unpaid county claims of KES 26.87 billion as of 31 March 2026 have also been reported.

None of this is a reason to skip contributions. Coverage is mandatory, and members who let coverage lapse face back-payment obligations before claims can be processed. But it is useful context for anyone dealing with a rejected claim or a delayed payment: the system is under strain, and paperwork discipline (keep the M-PESA confirmation SMS, keep the referral, keep the discharge summary) is the single biggest factor separating members whose claims are approved from those who are refused.

Enrolment figures across Kenyan public reporting differ materially. KNBS has reported roughly 21 million enrolled; Nation Media Group has reported 22 million; Standard Media Group has reported 32.2 million with about 5 million actively paying. These do not reconcile; treat each figure as attributable to the reporting source rather than as a settled SHA-official number.

Sources

  1. Social Health Authority, Means Testing: sha.go.ke/means-testing (accessed 26 August 2026).
  2. Social Health Authority, Premium Rates: sha.go.ke/premium-rates (accessed 26 August 2026).
  3. SHA registration: sha.go.ke/register.
  4. Afya Yangu member portal: afyayangu.go.ke.
  5. SHA toll-free helpline 0800 720 601 and head office address (SHA Building, Community Area, Ragati Road, Nairobi), per sha.go.ke (accessed 26 August 2026).
  6. Employer portal: employers.sha.go.ke.
  7. Social Health Insurance Act 2023 (legal basis, replaces the NHIF Act).
  8. Fraud, rejection, and unpaid-claim figures cited to Kenyan press coverage 2025-2026 (KNBS, Nation Media Group, Standard Media Group) rather than treated as SHA-official positions.
  9. Related paybillke resources: SHA paybill page, SHA contribution calculator, SHA payment not reflecting guide, SHA paybill background.