The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The Kenya Kwanza government recently rebranded its flagship national health insurance program, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), to “Taifa Care.”
This change was announced unexpectedly during President William Ruto’s State of the Nation address in Parliament last Thursday, catching many by surprise.
SHIF, which replaced the old National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), is managed by the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHA) and took effect on October 1, 2024.
In his speech, President Ruto referred to SHIF as “Taifa Care” multiple times, leaving many confused about when the rebranding occurred, as there was no prior public announcement. Notably, the President never once mentioned SHIF in connection with the new initiative, which is being promoted as a key tool for achieving Universal Health Coverage.
“Although NHIF served a limited group of citizens, it accumulated significant debt due to a mismatch between contributions and actual healthcare costs,” Ruto said. “Taifa Care has now carried out accurate cost assessments for all healthcare goods and services, ensuring timely, effective, and efficient service for all.”
During a debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Makueni MP Suzanne Kiamba raised concerns about the sudden shift in policy, questioning when such a major decision was made without input from lawmakers.
“I have so many questions about the President’s speech, and I believe these issues should be better explained. I thought the concept of SHA was promising, but its implementation seems flawed,” she said.
The MP emphasized that salaried Kenyans are bearing much of the financial burden for the new health insurance system, pointing out that the country cannot be seen as serving only this group. “When salaried workers bear the entire load of SHA, while wealthy businessmen and the informal sector are excluded, it feels like we are turning these workers into slaves,” Kiamba remarked.
She also expressed frustration that terms like “Taifa Care” were introduced without prior discussion in Parliament, questioning the transparency of the process. “How many decisions are being made outside this House?” she asked.
Kiamba further argued that the use of inconsistent terminology undermines Parliament’s authority. “If the terms used in Parliament don’t align with our rules, then we are just a decorative body, not one making meaningful decisions for Kenyans,” she said.
The MP also raised concerns about the adequacy of the funding allocated for chronic diseases, citing that the Sh6,000 per dialysis session provided under the program was insufficient to cover the full cost of treatment. “What are we really offering with just Sh6,000 for dialysis per person? This needs to be reviewed,” she insisted.
Her remarks came a day after the Ministry of Health reaffirmed its commitment to affordable, quality healthcare for all. Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa highlighted progress in the implementation of Taifa Care and the roll-out of the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHA), with over 15.2 million Kenyans now registered to receive services across 8,336 contracted healthcare facilities—5,210 government-owned, 319 faith-based, and 2,807 private.
