Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot on Sunday, November 24, gave an interesting narration on the shock he was dealt upon his first deduction of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) from his monthly salary.
The outspoken Senator spoke in the presence of President William Ruto during an Interdenominational church service at Kipsitet Primary School, Kericho County, where he admitted he was at first apprehensive about the new government health scheme.
"To be honest, this is not an easy burden to bear," the Senator said.
"When NHIF (National Health Insurance Fund) was in place, I was only deducted a Ksh1700 from my Ksh1 million salary. But when my October salary came in, I almost texted you, Mr President. I was deducted Ksh32,000."
He added, "But when I remembered the money was going to help an underprivileged Kenyan who voted for me, I said okay because I would rather the money help ordinary Kenyans."
The Senator further urged Kericho residents to register for the new SHIF, which was recently rebranded to Taifa Care, as the government aims to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Cheruiyot further faulted the previous NHIF which he claims was subject to rampant corruption and malpractice - which he believes would be eradicated through SHIF's modern claims management system (CMS).
Dig deeper: After the implementation of the Social Health Insurance Act (of Kenya), each employee will contribute 2.75% of their gross salary towards the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
Previously, under the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Kenyans contributed between Ksh500 to Ksh1,700 monthly and between Ksh6,000 and Ksh20,400 annually for the least earning and highest contributors respectively.
However, under the new health insurance scheme, a Kenyan earning Ksh20,000 now faces a monthly salary deduction of Ksh550 while employees earning Ksh50,000 and Ksh70,000 currently undergo a pay cut of Ksh1,375 and Ksh1,925 respectively.
Kenyans earning Ksh100,000 and Ksh150,000 will have their pay sliced by Ksh2,750 and Ksh4,125 respectively every month while employees earning Ksh200,000 and Ksh500,000 now face salary deductions of Ksh5,500 and Ksh13,750.
Senator Cheruiyot's latest comments were part of a deliberate and concocted effort by the government to surge the number of Kenyans registered for the new medical scheme.
In Nairobi, Health PS Mary Muthoni led a registration drive in the Kawangware area on Saturday, November 23.
Speaking during the same church service, President William Ruto also backed SHIF as he reiterated on the importance of registration for every Kenyan.
"Before complaining, please register. I want to promise you, that I have followed this NHIF since 2013 and whatever we are embarking on today is better," Ruto said.
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