Kenyans can now use the Hustler Fund to pay their Social Health Authority (SHA) premiums, following a new update by the government aimed at easing the financial burden for informal sector workers.
A spot check by Kenyans.co.ke on Wednesday, June 5, revealed that citizens had begun receiving SMS notifications with instructions on how to make SHA payments via the Lipa Pole Pole feature on the Hustler Fund platform.
The new integration allows Kenyans to borrow from the Hustler Fund specifically to settle their SHA contributions—providing a more flexible way to manage the mandatory health insurance costs, especially for those unable to pay the annual premiums upfront.
How to Use Hustler Fund to Pay SHA Premiums
There are two main ways to access the SHA payment option through the Hustler Fund:
- *USSD Code 254#
- Dial *254# and go to Option 4: Lipa Pole Pole.
- A prompt will show your SHA annual premium.
- Choose Hustler Fund as your financier and follow the instructions.
- Note: You must have cleared any existing Hustler Fund loans to use this option.
- *USSD Code 147#
- Dial *147# and select Lipa Pole Pole.
- Choose the SHA contribution option.
- Select Hustler Fund as the payment method.
- You’ll then choose a repayment plan: daily, weekly, or monthly.
- Once approved, your SHA premium is paid instantly, and loan repayment begins automatically.
To qualify, users must already be registered with the Hustler Fund and have a good repayment track record. Additionally, the system will prompt anyone without updated SHA details to complete the registration process before proceeding.
Ruto’s Madaraka Day Announcement
The new payment method follows President William Ruto’s announcement during the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay on June 1. He introduced the Lipa Pole Pole scheme, aimed at enabling Kenyans—particularly those in the informal sector—to pay SHA contributions in instalments.
“This initiative is meant to provide flexible payment options for health insurance coverage,” Ruto said during the event.
Government Collaboration
The facility is a result of collaboration between:
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs
- Mobile Network Operators
- Financial Institutions
These stakeholders worked together to integrate SHA contributions into the Hustler Fund platform.
However, despite the rollout, the Hustler Fund team has yet to issue an official public update about the system integration—raising data privacy concerns since SHA and Hustler Fund operate under different data management frameworks.
