The government has announced plans to revamp the contentious EduAfya scheme to incorporate all school-going children.
Through the 2025 Budget Policy Statement, the National Treasury said the government was keen on implementing strong institutional and strategic measures to extend the impact of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Part of the government's strategy includes re-igniting the EduAfya scheme, which ended on December 31, 2023, to the dismay of parents of high school children.
At the time, the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) ended the Ksh4.5 billion EduAfya scheme, leaving more than 3.4 million learners without medical cover.
However, the Treasury is now looking to revamp the scheme to ensure that all school-going children are covered.
"The Government will scale up the scope of existing programmes such as Edu Afya to encompass all school-going children, extending beyond its current focus on secondary school students," part of the Budget Policy Statement read.
The EduAfya medical scheme was first launched in 2018 during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure. Facilitated by the Ministry of Education, the scheme enjoyed success in its initial stages, as premiums were paid for more than 3.4 million learners.
It is estimated that the government used Ksh9.5 billion to pay for learners' medical coverage between 2019 and 2022.
EduAfya was expected to die a natural death at the start of 2024, as the government sought to implement the Social Health Insurance Act of 2023, which would effectively replace NHIF with three health funds, including the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
Dig Deeper: In the 2025 Budget Policy Statement, the government also announced that the Linda Mama Programme will be enhanced beyond prenatal care to extend comprehensive postnatal services.
The EduAfya is not the only programme set to receive a boost from the government. The Afya Bora Mashinani scheme has seen more than 100,000 community health promoters provide direct health care in households, particularly in rural regions.
In a bid to improve the overall supply chain of medical facilities, the government also intends to establish Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) regional distribution centers in key cities, including Kisumu, Embakasi, and Mombasa.
