NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 11 – Former Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the appointment in a statement on Friday, saying Mwangangi emerged top from a shortlist of twelve candidates selected from a pool of ninety-two applicants.

“Dr. Mwangangi, a health financing and policy expert with over 15 years of experience, brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership in universal health coverage (UHC), institutional reform, and health systems strengthening,” read the statement.

Before her appointment, Mwangangi served as the Senior Health Systems Strengthening Director at AMREF Health Africa, where she led major health financing and security initiatives across the continent.

Her previous role as Health CAS during the COVID-19 pandemic elevated her public profile, with many Kenyans lauding her calm during health briefings.

The Ministry expressed confidence in her ability to deliver on SHA’s mandate, which includes overseeing critical reforms in healthcare financing and ensuring access to affordable, quality healthcare for all Kenyans.

“We are confident that she has what it takes to steer SHA and deliver on its mandate,” said CS Duale.

Mwangangi’s appointment marks a significant step in operationalizing SHA, which is central to President William Ruto’s universal health coverage agenda.

The agency has faced hitches since replacing the National Health Insuarance Fund (NHIF) with some private hospitals suspending services over unpaid historical bills by the defuct agency.

Following the stalemate, the government committed to clear all debts below Sh10 million with Duale tasking a team to verify all cliams exceeding Sh10 million.