On Friday while Speaking at his Sugoi home in Turbo, Uasin Gishu county, President William Ruto said that reforms in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) are aimed at ensuring universal healthcare for every citizen in the country.
Ruto told off critics of the reforms, saying they were up to no good and were opposed to the transformation of the country.
“We have reduced monthly payments to NHIF to make it easy for most people. The Government will pay for those who do not have the means to pay,” Ruto said.
Speaking when he distributed Christmas gifts to residents of Turbo Constituency and neighboring areas at his Sugoi home. The president highlighted that the majority of Kenyans outside formal employment will now be required to contribute KSh300 monthly to NHIF, reduced from KSh500.
During the event the president was accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto, Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and his Nairobi counterpart Johnson Sakaja. The President and First Lady Rachel Ruto gave food items, which included maize flour, cooking oil, wheat flour, rice, and sugar, among others.
According to the proposed National Health Insurance Fund Regulations (NHIF), 2023, employed Kenyans will soon be required to pay a flat rate of 2.75 per cent of their monthly income to NHIF.
The government picked NHIF as the primary implementer of universal health coverage due to its long-standing experience in health insurance and established infrastructure.
President William Ruto Government plans to drop the current deduction system, where salaried workers have been paying between Ksh 150 and Ksh 1,700, depending on their monthly pay.
Those in the informal sector have been paying a flat rate of Ksh 500.
While announcing the proposal, President William Ruto decried the shrinking size of the fund and called it “unfair” to people with low incomes. He said capping the contributions at Ksh 1,700 was denying NHIF necessary funds from high earners like himself who can comfortably pay as much as 27,000.
The aim of the proposed reforms is to expand the fund and cushion NHIF against regular liquidity challenges resulting from a high claim ratio.
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