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How SHA Premium Assessment Works in Kenya (Step by Step)

If you are self-employed, in the informal sector, unemployed or a student with no payslip, the premium you pay to SHA does not come from your salary. It comes from the SHA premium assessment. Below is the exact procedure, what the assessment asks, how the amount is worked out, and what to do when the result looks wrong.

What Is SHA Premium Assessment?

SHA premium assessment is the SHA means test. SHA uses it to work out what a household can reasonably afford to pay for social health insurance. SHA’s own notice to members says means testing is done for non-salaried members so that contributions are based on household income.

The tool behind it is called the Means Testing Instrument. Because most informal workers cannot show a payslip, it uses proxy means testing (PMT): you describe your household, and the system estimates income from those answers.

How SHA Premium Assessment Works: Step by Step

The whole assessment happens on the Afya Yangu portal. Which first step you take depends on whether you have an account.

Have these ready before you start

If the means test does not appear or will not go through

• Open My Profile → Income and start it from there.
• OTP not arriving: read SHA OTP not received.
• Portal says your ID is not found: read SHA ID not found.

What the SHA Premium Assessment Asks

The SHA premium assessment is a questionnaire of about two dozen questions in three groups.

Media reports describing the tool say it can also draw on other records, such as mobile phone and mobile money use, bank and microfinance data, credit reference data and utility data. SHA has not published the full list of inputs, so treat that as reported, not confirmed.

How Does SHA Calculate Your Premium After the Assessment?

SHA states three things publicly:

• The rate: 2.75% of household income.
• The floor: a minimum of KSh 300 a month, which is KSh 3,600 a year.
• The estimate: for informal-sector households, income is predicted from your answers through proxy means testing, then the rate is applied.

SHA also says households with similar income levels are grouped into bands, and each household gets the lowest possible contribution within its band. The exact scoring formula and full list of variables are not public, so you cannot reproduce your result by hand.

How Much Is SHA Per Month After the Assessment?

For the unemployed and self-employed, the minimum is KSh 300 a month. Your actual figure is whatever the assessment returns. SHA’s own reported spread for informal-sector households:

SHA premium after assessment (as reported in May)	Share of households
KSh 300 to 500 a month	45%
KSh 501 to 850 a month	47%
KSh 850 or less a month, in total	92%
KSh 1,001 to 3,499 a month	7.1%
Above KSh 3,500 a month	0.4%

Who Must Take the SHA Premium Assessment?

Your situation	How your SHA premium is set
Salaried employee	Your employer deducts 2.75% of your gross salary each month. No means test.
Self-employed or informal sector	SHA premium assessment on Afya Yangu.
Unemployed, student or no regular income	SHA premium assessment on Afya Yangu.
Indigent household	SHA says contributions are fully subsidised by government for households identified through State Department for Social Protection data.
Dependant on someone else’s profile	Covered under that household’s contribution. See who one SHA contribution covers.

How Do You Know Your SHA Premium After the Assessment?

The premium is shown on screen as soon as you submit the assessment. To see it again, log in at afyayangu.go.ke and open My Profile → Income, where you took the test. Your payments and contribution status are on the Insurance Cover tab; see how to check your SHA contribution history.

Why Your SHA Premium Assessment May Look High

• Your answers point to a higher standard of living. A larger house, land, livestock, a smartphone or high airtime spend can move a household into a higher band.
• Details were guessed or rushed. An answer ticked in a hurry may not match your real situation.
• Your situation changed. Job loss, a closed business or a move does not update the assessment on its own.
• The model can be off. An investigation by Lighthouse Reports with Africa Uncensored and The Guardian, published in May, reconstructed the model and reported that it tends to overestimate the premium of some of the poorest households. SHA defended the tool, said most informal-sector households are assessed at KSh 850 a month or less, and said members can request a review.

What to Do If Your SHA Premium Assessment Is Wrong

1. Check the answers behind the figure. Log in and review the details in My Profile.
2. Update what has changed. If your income or household changed after the assessment, correct it where the portal allows.
3. Ask SHA to review it. Members can request a review. Our SHA appeal guide covers the *147# Punguza Malipo route, and SHA’s toll-free line is 0800 720 601.
4. Cannot pay in one go? SHA says Lipa SHA Pole Pole allows daily, weekly or monthly payments matched to your income.

SHA makes the final decision on every assessment. Nobody outside SHA can change your premium directly.

SHA Premium Assessment FAQs

How does SHA premium assessment work in Kenya?

You log in to Afya Yangu, take the means test when prompted (or under My Profile, then Income), answer the household questions, confirm them and submit. SHA’s Means Testing Instrument then calculates your annual premium.

What is SHA premium assessment?

It is the SHA means test for non-salaried members. It estimates household income from your answers and sets your premium at SHA’s stated rate of 2.75% of household income, with a minimum of KSh 300 a month.

Where do I take the SHA means test?

On Afya Yangu. Log in at afyayangu.go.ke, or register first at the registration page if you have not yet. After registering, or at your next login, the portal prompts you to take the means test.

How does SHA calculate premium?

SHA states 2.75% of household income with a KSh 300 monthly minimum. For people without a payslip, income is estimated from your answers through proxy means testing. The exact scoring formula is not public.

How much is SHA per month for the unemployed?

The minimum is KSh 300 a month, or KSh 3,600 a year. Your actual figure depends on your assessment. SHA has reported that most informal-sector households are assessed at KSh 850 a month or less.

How do you know your SHA premium?

It appears on screen after you submit the assessment. Log in to Afya Yangu and open My Profile, then Income, to see it again.

Can I redo my SHA premium assessment?

If your income or household has changed, update your details where the portal allows and ask SHA to review the result. Our appeal guide explains the routes.

Can the SHA premium assessment be wrong?

Yes. Answers can be mistaken or out of date, and independent researchers have reported that the model can overestimate some poor households. SHA says members can request a review.

Is This the Right Page?

You want to	Page to use
See every means test question	SHA means test guide
Register on Afya Yangu first	How to register for SHA
Appeal an assessment you think is wrong	How to appeal your SHA contribution
Understand why the amount is high	SHA contribution too high
Try to bring the premium down	Reduce your SHA contributions

Related Guides

Sources

• SHA: Means Testing
• The Star: SHA defends means testing tool, says new model protects poor
• Lighthouse Reports: How we investigated Kenya’s AI means testing system
• The Kenya Times: questions SHA asks self-employed Kenyans