Kenya’s Social Health Authority has promised to pay thousands of overdue insurance claims within three weeks, a move aimed at easing a cash‑flow crisis that many hospitals say is already hurting patient care.

“We are examining every claim filed up to 1 July to ensure they meet our rules,” Mercy Mwangangi, the agency’s chief executive, said on Monday. “Primary‑care and maternity claims have been cleared; the money goes out today. In‑patient and surgical packages will follow, and all balances will be settled in the next three weeks.”

The SHA administers Kenya’s new national health‑insurance system, contracting 9,365 public, private and faith‑based facilities. Delays in reimbursement have squeezed budgets, especially at smaller hospitals that rely on monthly payments to buy drugs, pay staff and service loans.

A recent survey by the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya found that only one in five facilities received full reimbursement under the authority’s primary‑care model. More than a third had taken on debt to keep their doors open; one per cent had already closed.

“Thirty per cent of those in debt are close to default,” the association warned. “Nine per cent face court action from suppliers.”

The authority says it has released KSh 3 billion so far, covering accident and emergency, cancer and kidney services. Mwangangi insisted the vetting process—required under regulations 59 and 61—was essential to curb fraud and ensure money reaches legitimate claims.

Health Secretary Aden Duale told reporters that 24 million Kenyans have now enrolled in the scheme. Of those, 4.5 million have accessed basic and maternal care, while 2.2 million have received specialist treatment.

Hospital managers, however, say the system must pay on time if universal health cover is to succeed. “We welcome the pledge,” one Nairobi clinic owner said. “But unless the money lands soon, some of us won’t be here to receive it.”