Dear Kenyans,
On October 19, President William Ruto signed the Social Health Insurance Act 2023 into law, posing a significant threat to our healthcare system. As representatives of Kenyan workers and social partners, we must bring critical concerns to your attention.
Comprehensive Medical Cover at Risk: The transition clause in Section 5 implies an immediate end to the comprehensive medical cover for over 3 million civil servants and county employees. This breaches our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and leaves millions without assured access to care.
Informal Sector Inequity: The law discriminates against 80% of Kenyans working in the informal sector, requiring upfront annual contributions. This contradicts the principle of fairness, and the promised ‘premium financial products’ do not address the injustice.
Primary Healthcare Fund Disbursement: The fund, financed by taxpayers and allocated by Parliament, should be disbursed to counties through the Commission of Revenue Allocation. This ensures effective service delivery in healthcare facilities at the county level.
Opaque Regulations Development: The act mandates the Social Health Authority’s Board to develop regulations, yet these are being formulated without the board and key stakeholders’ input. This lack of transparency raises concerns.
Concerns on Claims Management: We believe the law aims to benefit private entities by outsourcing claims management, undermining the public healthcare system and potentially privatizing public funds.
We promise to resist any attempts to roll back the progress we’ve made in health financing.
