The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Samson Kuhora announced a three-week crackdown on all defiant employees.
Speaking at the Tom Mboya Labour College on Tuesday, May 23, Kuhora noted that the move was aimed at collecting Ksh712 million in remittances.
He argued that the money was part of the Ksh1.07 billion owed by employers to the national insurer.
According to Kuhora, the missing funds affected delivery of services offered to Kenyans at different medical facilities.
"The exercise is aimed at sealing the gaps in revenue collection to ensure that operations of the funds run uninterrupted," he explained.
He further emphasised that the Fund was focused on providing beneficiaries with top-notch services and it will not allow its staff to sabotage its agenda.
Kuhora detailed that employees contributed about 64 per cent of NHIF's revenue.
The acting CEO was joined by other leaders including COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli who held that employee contributions should be safeguarded.
"Corruption remains the biggest challenge in service delivery, we need to audit the accredited health facilities to ensure that only those that meet the threshold are allowed to operate," Atwoli stated.
On April 13, NHIF announced a penalty for all defaulting employers as outlined in the NHIF (Amendment) Act 2022.
“The NHIF Act No. 9 of 1998 which was amended on January 10th, 2022 highlights the revised penalty rate on late contributions. The effective date for the new penalty rate is May 1st, 2023,” Kuhora declared.
In the new guidelines, those contributing Ksh500 per month will pay ksh50 as penalties for defaulting.
On May 1, President William Ruto announced that his contribution to the national insurer will increase as it was not fair compared to the common mwanachi paying Ksh600.
"I as the president who has been paying Ksh1,000 with a Ksh1 million salary will be paying Ksh27,500 and others will also pay a certain amount," he added.
