Digital Health Agency Chief Executive Officer Anthony Lenaiyara speaks during the Kenya Health Summit 2026 Media Town Hall in Nairobi on Tuesday, August 11, 2026./LEAH MUKANGAIThe Digital Health Agency (DHA) has defended the two per cent fee deducted from claims processed through the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the charge is payment for digital services provided to healthcare facilities.
Speaking during the Kenya Health Summit 2026 Media Town Hall in Nairobi on Tuesday, August 11, DHA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Lenaiyara said the money collected through the deduction goes to the agency and is not paid to a private company.
“SHA is not paying the 2% service charge to a private entity; it's being paid to DHA, and it's a service charge,” Lenaiyara said.
His remarks come as the charge faces a legal challenge at the High Court, with petitioners seeking its suspension and questioning its legal basis, introduction and management of the money collected.
Lenaiyara said the fee is intended to support the digital processing of healthcare claims and improve efficiency for facilities using the SHA system.
He said the digital system reduces the paperwork and printing costs that healthcare facilities previously incurred when processing claims.
“We offer efficiency to reduce the paperwork and workload in our facilities, and that's what is being paid for, and it's paid by the user, who is the facility. They are paying for efficiency to process their claims and offer a service,” he said.
The petitioners have challenged the legality of the two per cent deduction and questioned the process through which the charge was introduced.
They have also raised questions about how the funds collected through the fee are managed, placing the charge under scrutiny given the volume of claims processed through SHA.
However, Lenaiyara maintained that the two per cent rate was arrived at through a process that included public participation and engagement with Parliament.
“We didn't just land on that figure, we did public participation, asked parliament and agreed on that 2%, which is capped at five thousand shillings,” he said.
The CEO further said the agency is not allowed to deduct more than Sh5,000 from a claim regardless of the total amount billed by a healthcare facility.
According to Lenaiyara, the fee is therefore a charge for the digital claims-processing service offered to healthcare providers.
The dispute now leaves the High Court to consider the legal questions raised by the petitioners, while the DHA maintains that the deduction is a legitimate service charge.
The outcome of the case could affect healthcare providers that rely on the SHA system to process claims and the costs associated with accessing the agency’s digital claims-processing services.
