Photo: Schreibkraft, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0CR number in SHA
What it is, where to find it and when you need it
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What the CR number is
"CR" stands for Client Registry. SHA does not run a separate list of members from scratch: Kenya has one national register of people who receive health services, and SHA identifies its members against it.
- The law: regulation 13(1) of the Digital Health (Data Exchange Component) Regulations, 2025 (Legal Notice No. 77) says the client registry "shall be the single source of reference in the identification of clients seeking health services".
- Who runs it: the Digital Health Agency manages and maintains it day to day, and must provide for self-registration through the patient portal (reg. 13(2)).
- Insurers must use it: every health insurance provider must ensure all its clients are registered in the client registry, and register them if they are not (reg. 13(5)); its claims system must reference the registry to identify patients (reg. 21(2)).
- SHA's link to it: the Kenya Client Registry says it supported the SHA launch in October 2024 with integrations to NHIF, IPRS, Safaricom KYC and the National Registration Bureau, "providing unified identifiers for UHC enrollment".
In plain terms: when you registered for SHA, you were also placed in the client registry, and the CR number is the reference of that record. SHA does not publish the format of the number.
Where SHA asks for a CR number
| Where | What SHA accepts | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Paying at a bank | Your national ID number or your SHA Client Registry (CR) number | SHA payment FAQ |
| M-PESA paybill 200222 | Your ID number as the account number | SHA payment FAQ |
| *147# | Your ID number, then MAKE PAYMENT | SHA payment FAQ |
| Checking your cover on eligibility.sha.go.ke | "CR Number" is one of the identification types, alongside National ID, Alien ID, Refugee ID, Temporary ID, Passport Number, Household Number, Birth Certificate Number and others | SHA coverage checker |
So for most adults with a national ID, the ID number does the job. The CR number matters most for people whose ID number is not the obvious key — a child registered with a birth certificate or birth notification, a foreign resident, or a refugee — and when a bank cashier or a hospital asks for it.
How to find your CR number
- Register first. SHA says a number is generated once you complete registration on afyayangu.go.ke; if you have not registered yet, follow our SHA registration guide (online or by *147#).
- Log in to afyayangu.go.ke with your ID number and PIN and open your profile, where your registration details are kept. The PIN can be reset on the same portal.
- Ask at the facility. Hospitals check members through SHA's systems, which reference the client registry (reg. 21(2) of the Regulations); the front desk can look you up by ID number and read the record.
- Call SHA on the toll-free line 0800 720 601 if the portal does not show it (SHA).
Using the CR number to check if your SHA cover is active
- Open eligibility.sha.go.ke (SHA).
- Choose CR Number in the identification type list (or National ID if you prefer).
- Enter the number and press Check.
- If the result says you are not eligible, check whether your contributions are up to date: hospital care at Level 4 and above needs them paid, arrears and penalties included (see our SHA registration guide).
What an "inactive" result means and how to become active again is in how to check your SHA status. To pay what you owe, see every channel, Lipa SHA Pole Pole and late-payment penalties in how to pay SHA. The same check for motor, medical and life policies is in how to check if your insurance is valid.
Dependants, children and people without a national ID
Regulation 13(4) lists what a person must show to be entered in the client registry (Regulations):
- Kenyan citizens: a national identity card, a valid passport, or a birth certificate for a person under the age of eighteen.
- Non-citizens ordinarily resident in Kenya: a valid asylum-seeker pass, movement pass, letter of recognition, refugee identification card or Convention travel document.
The self-registration form in the same Regulations (Form DE 2) also accepts a Maisha number. Each of these people gets their own record in the registry, which is why the coverage checker offers so many identification types: when a child has no ID number, the birth certificate number, the birth notification or the CR number is the way to find them.
If you want more than SHA covers
The CR number only identifies you; it does not change what SHA pays for. Private medical insurers are bound by the same registry rules (reg. 13(5)), so a private plan does not replace your SHA registration — it adds to it. What each covers is set out in SHA vs private medical insurance, and SHA's own package, fund by fund, in what SHA covers. To compare private health covers from several licensed insurers, ask for quotes.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the CR number in SHA?
Your Client Registry number: the reference of your record in Kenya's national health client registry, which SHA uses to identify members. SHA accepts it, or your national ID number, when you pay contributions at a bank.
Is the CR number the same as my ID number?
No. Your ID number is issued by the National Registration Bureau; the CR number is the client registry's own reference. SHA accepts either at the bank and on its coverage checker.
How do I get my SHA CR number?
Complete SHA registration on afyayangu.go.ke, then log in with your ID number and PIN and look at your profile. If it is not there, ask the health facility or call SHA's toll-free line 0800 720 601.
Can I pay SHA with my CR number on M-PESA?
SHA's payment FAQ tells non-salaried members to use paybill 200222 with their ID number as the account number. The CR number is listed for payments at a bank.
Can I check my SHA status with a CR number?
Yes. On eligibility.sha.go.ke, choose "CR Number" as the identification type, enter it and press Check. What each result means: how to check your SHA status.
Sources
- Social Health Authority — FAQ: How do I pay my monthly contributions as a non-salaried member? (seen 21 October 2026)
- Social Health Authority — Check your coverage (eligibility.sha.go.ke, seen October 2026)
- Digital Health (Data Exchange Component) Regulations, 2025 — Legal Notice No. 77, reg. 13 (the client registry) and reg. 21 (insurance services), Kenya Gazette Supplement of 11 April 2025 (Digital Health Agency copy)
- Digital Health Agency — Kenya Client Registry (cr.dha.go.ke, seen 27 October 2026)