President William Ruto has directed the National Treasury to allocate funds to enrol all village elders, together with their spouses and children, into the Social Health Authority (SHA) programme from January 1, 2027, in the latest expansion of the government's universal health coverage initiative.
The President announced the directive on Tuesday during an engagement forum with village elders at State House, saying the government would fully finance the health insurance cover for the country's grassroots administrators and their immediate families.
"I have directed the National Treasury to allocate funds so that by January 1, 2027, every village elder, together with their spouses and children, is enrolled under the Social Health Authority programme."
The announcement marks another step in the government's effort to extend healthcare protection to frontline workers who support the delivery of public services at the grassroots.
Village elders play a key role in community administration, working alongside chiefs and assistant chiefs on matters including public participation, conflict resolution, security, mobilisation for government programmes and dissemination of official information.
The directive comes as the government continues to expand the reach of the Social Health Authority, which has replaced the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) as Kenya's national health insurance system.
According to the government, 31.5 million Kenyans have now been registered under SHA, a significant increase from the approximately eight million people who were covered under the former NHIF, reflecting the accelerated rollout of the universal health coverage programme.
The inclusion of village elders follows a series of government decisions to extend SHA benefits to key frontline personnel involved in delivering public services.
In July, President Ruto directed that Community Health Promoters be enrolled into the Social Health Authority, with the government setting aside funding to cover their premiums as part of efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and improve the welfare of the more than 100,000 frontline health workers serving communities across the country.
Earlier this year, the government also onboarded 138,283 officers and their dependants from the National Police Service and the Kenya Prisons Service into SHA under the Usalama Cover programme, describing the move as part of broader reforms to improve healthcare access for security personnel.
The latest directive is expected to benefit thousands of village elders serving across Kenya's more than 106,000 villages, reinforcing their role in supporting national administration while extending health protection to their families.
The government has recently announced broader reforms targeting village elders, including a policy framework to formally recognise their role, digital literacy and leadership training, and closer integration into the country's grassroots administrative structures.
The President said financing SHA cover for village elders and their families would strengthen their welfare while supporting the government's commitment to ensuring that every Kenyan can access affordable healthcare regardless of income or location.