Schools may be forced to turn students away when they reopen in January if they are not registered for the new health scheme, the Social Health Authority (SHA).
According to senior government advisor Moses Kuria, the government is planning to send home all unregistered children in a bid to register all Kenyans.
While speaking at a Homecoming Sabbath at SDA Church Ngarariga in the Bibirioni area of Limuru, Kuria insisted that the government is pushing for 100 per cent adoption of Taifa Care. Kuria while noting that the adoption of SHA has been low among children, the outspoken advisor revealed the new plan being sought to change this tide.
“If you are a parent and you have registered yourself for SHA and have not registered your child, the record that is being kept at the school of your child will be set aside this January,” Kuria asserted.
He added, “Starting January, we are going to set aside all the records of children in schools. And for your child to be accepted back to school, you must have registered them for SHA.”
This week, the government announced that schools nationwide will reopen for the first term on January 6, 2025, and close on April 4 after 13 weeks of studies.
The Ministry of Education has not issued any statements on the policy, however, in August, the Ministry insisted parents must register their children for the scheme.
In October, during the rollout of the scheme, then Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha announced the removal of the cap on the number of dependents to be registered per household.
The government stated that one can register all their dependents without limit, provided that they provide for them financially. “There’s no limit to how many children you can include as long as you take care of them financially,” read the statement.
Additionally, polygamous families will not be required to make an extra contribution for each wife, as had been earlier speculated.
The move comes as the government rolls the dice with various means to increase the adoption of SHA. Already, the government has rolled out a door-to-door campaign using Community Health Providers (CHPs).
The Ministry of Health has also sought help from the churches to increase the adoption of SHA. Another part of the scheme is the campaign in every county, being done in collaboration with governors, Senators, and MPs.
By mid-last week, 14 million Kenyans were registered under the new scheme, including 8 million new registrations. 6 million Kenyans managed to successfully transition from the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
