Families of civil servants who have either died or been injured in the line of duty are yet to be compensated by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in the past year.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, in April 2020, had directed the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Service to develop a package that would cater to civil servants.
This led to the Ksh6.3 billion insurance cover for civil servants which involves a Group Personal Accident and Work Injury Benefits Act compensation.
Reports indicate that families of police officers and prison wardens are most affected by the delays. Over 219 police officers have died since January, while 336 others have been injured in the line of duty.
The situation was further brought to light by the National Police Service which wrote a letter to the NHIF CEO Peter Gathenge urging the Fund to look into their plight.
NPS pushed for the prompt settlement of the claims in order to facilitate a decent sendoff for fallen officers while also compensating those who have been injured.
"The services endeavour to support the affected families to deal with these difficult situations promptly as and when they occur.
"Prompt settlement of these claims, therefore, is crucial to ease the burden occasioned by death, considering that some occur suddenly," read part of the letter from NPS.
Addressing these claims, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia said that the claims would be processed before the end of the financial year.
"The government will honor all commitments regarding Group Personal Accidents and Work Injury Benefits Act plus also Covid-19 compensation as per the insurance policy. Any delay is regretted and all cases will be settled before the end of this financial year," Kobia stated.
NHIF extended its functions and operations to civil servants after Treasury CS Ukur Yatani exempted NHIF from regulation by the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) for providing commercial insurance services.
The insurance cover caters for officers within State Departments, Kenya Prisons Service, National Police Service, County Governments, County Assemblies, Constitutional Commissions, State Corporations and retired Public Servants.
