What is the SHA minimum contribution?

KES 300 per month. Any Kenyan whose 2.75% of gross monthly income works out below KES 300 pays this floor. Source: sha.go.ke/premium-rates, accessed 26 August 2026.

At what income does the KES 300 floor stop applying?

KES 10,909 gross monthly income. 2.75% of KES 10,909 rounds to KES 300. Above that, you pay the exact percentage; below, you pay the floor.

Is KES 300 the standard SHA rate?

No. KES 300 is the floor. The standard rate is 2.75% of gross monthly income with no upper cap. Confusing the floor with the standard rate is a common mistake in online summaries.

What if I cannot afford KES 300 in one payment?

SHA runs Lipa SHA Pole Pole. You pay four months upfront (KES 1,200 at the floor) then spread twenty months across daily (roughly KES 10), weekly (roughly KES 70), or monthly instalments via M-PESA Ratiba. No interest, no extra charges.

SHA minimum contribution Kenya 2026: KES 300 floor explained

Q: What does KES 300/month buy me at a hospital?

The same SHIF coverage as any higher contributor. SHA coverage is not tiered by contribution amount. A KES 300 contributor and a KES 27,500 contributor access the same benefit package at contracted facilities.

The KES 300 floor

SHA sets a contribution floor of KES 300 per month, published at sha.go.ke/premium-rates (accessed 26 August 2026) [Source 1]. Any Kenyan whose 2.75% calculation lands below KES 300 pays the floor.

The arithmetic break-point is KES 10,909. If your gross monthly income is at or below KES 10,909, your 2.75% works out at or below KES 300, and you pay the floor. If your gross is above KES 10,909, you pay the exact 2.75%.

Gross monthly income (KES)	2.75% calculation	Actual SHA payable
3,000	82.50	300 (floor)
6,000	165	300 (floor)
10,000	275	300 (floor)
10,909	300	300 (break-point)
12,000	330	330 (exact)
15,000	412.50	413 (exact)

Who the floor applies to

The floor applies to two overlapping groups:

Anyone earning below KES 10,909/month gross, whether salaried or non-salaried. If the exact 2.75% is less than 300, you pay 300.
Tier 2 non-salaried households whose Means Testing assessment lands below the floor. A household with no declared income and no meaningful assets still contributes KES 300. See SHA for the unemployed and means testing explained.

For a full breakdown of the 2.75% rule and how it plays across every salary band, see how much is SHA per month. To model your own number, use the SHA contribution calculator.

What KES 300/month buys

The same SHIF benefit package that any higher contributor gets [Source 2]. Coverage is not tiered by contribution amount. A KES 300 contributor and a KES 27,500 contributor have equal access to outpatient, inpatient, maternity, renal, mental health, oncology, and specialised services at SHA-contracted facilities. The difference is what each pays in, not what each receives.

This is intentional. SHA is a social insurance scheme, not a private cover with tiered benefits. The higher earners cross-subsidise the lower earners, which is the point of a mandatory single-payer arrangement.

The floor is not a cap

A common online confusion: some summaries describe KES 300 as if it were the SHA rate. It is not. KES 300 is the floor. Above KES 10,909 gross, you pay 2.75%, and there is no upper limit. A worker on KES 500,000 pays KES 13,750/month; a worker on KES 1 million pays KES 27,500/month. See SHA vs NHIF: what changed for how this differs from the old NHIF cap of KES 1,700.

How to pay the KES 300

Register at sha.go.ke/register and complete Means Testing at afyayangu.go.ke.
Pay via M-PESA Paybill 200222, account number your National ID, amount KES 300.
Confirm the payment posts to your afyayangu.go.ke account within 24 to 72 hours.
Repeat monthly. Coverage lapses if you go months without contributing.

If it does not post, see payment not reflecting. Someone else can pay on your behalf; SHA reconciles by ID, not by the sending M-PESA number.

If KES 300 is still too much in one go

SHA has published Lipa SHA Pole Pole for non-salaried Kenyans who need to spread the contribution. Per sha.go.ke/lipa-pole-pole (accessed 26 August 2026) [Source 3]:

Two-year plan.
First four months paid upfront. At the KES 300 floor, that is KES 1,200 to enrol.
Remaining twenty months spread as daily (roughly KES 10/day), weekly (roughly KES 70/week), or monthly (KES 300/month) via M-PESA Ratiba, *147#, or *254#.
No interest, no extra charges.
Full annual cover starts immediately on enrolment.

The daily option is popular in the informal sector because KES 10 is a smaller commitment than KES 300 and maps to daily takings for boda riders, mama mboga, and hustlers with variable cash flow.

What not to do at the floor

Do not skip months to save money. Coverage lapses; a lapsed member walking into a facility is billed in full. Arrears also attract a 2% penalty under section 27(6) of the Social Health Insurance Act 2023.
Do not confuse the KES 300 floor with the annual figure. Annual at the floor is KES 3,600, not KES 300.
Do not assume you get less coverage. Benefits are equal; contribution is what varies.
Do not pay to the wrong account. Account number is your National ID, digits only, no spaces or leading letters. See payment not reflecting.

Sources

SHA premium rates (2.75%, KES 300 floor, no cap): sha.go.ke/premium-rates, accessed 26 August 2026.
SHA Social Health Insurance Fund benefit package: sha.go.ke/social-health-insurance-fund, accessed 26 August 2026.
Lipa SHA Pole Pole: sha.go.ke/lipa-pole-pole, accessed 26 August 2026. Two-year plan, four months upfront, twenty months in daily/weekly/monthly instalments, no interest, no extra charges.
Section 27(6), Social Health Insurance Act 2023. 2% penalty on late payments.
SHA member portal afyayangu.go.ke. M-PESA Paybill 200222.