The Social Health Authority (SHA) has given healthcare facilities until October 14, 2026 to finish the contracting process for the 2026-2029 cycle after the organization announced an extension on Thursday, October 1. The deadline had initially expired on September 30.

“Social Health Authority (SHA) has extended the contracting deadline by 14 days to 14 th October 2026 to give more time to the healthcare facilities to complete the 2026-2029 contracting cycle,” the SHA CEO Mercy Mwangangi said.

During the additional two weeks, the facilities will continue to serve SHA beneficiaries under the existing agreements before the contracts officially expire on October 14. According to SHA, there will be no further extensions given beyond this date. Healthcare providers whose agreements expired on the 30 th of last month will be given the extra time till October 14 to adopt through the SHA e-contracting portal. In addition, the facilities have three days to acknowledge, sign and return the extension agreement to SHA to ensure continuous service provision to SHA beneficiaries

“Service provision to SHA beneficiaries will only continue in those facilities that acknowledge the 14-day extension period,” Mwangangi warned.

For the facilities that will decline the extension, they have been asked to start the transfer of patients receiving treatment to any of the contracted healthcare facilities in preparation for the expiry of all long-term agreements on October 14. SHA has described the move as a way of cushioning the patients from any disruption in their treatment regimen.

According to the authority, there were a total of 10,006 healthcare providers who declared interest in the 2026-2029 contracting cycle and were at various levels of the application process as of October 1. It should be noted that the new contracting period, referred to as HAKIKA will commence from October 2026 and will end in June 2029. The 2024-2026 agreement was the first one to be signed between SHA and the various healthcare facilities.

The MOH had earlier this year developed a regulatory framework for the 2026-2029 contracting cycle to ensure that the terms of engagement for the healthcare providers were well-defined. This means that there will be clear guidelines on benefits, reimbursement, quality, and dispute resolution mechanisms among the parties involved.

SHA also announced that it had opened an e-contracting portal in September where the healthcare facilities could complete their applications, attach the necessary documents and verify licenses, execute contracts, and track their applications.

SHA will host HAKIKA contracting clinics in every county starting next Monday, October 5. The clinics will be conducted through the SHA county offices and the authority will make available the schedules and requirements for the various providers on its website. Facilities that have all the required documents to complete the contract have been advised to do so without waiting until October 14.

The new deadline will give healthcare facilities more time to fulfill the new requirements, but SHA will remain firm on the October 14 deadline.