According to new regulations published by NHIF on Wednesday, February 16, those earning more than Ksh100,000 will have to pay 1.7 percent of their gross salary.
This is in contrast to the current policy whereby they pay a fixed monthly contribution of Ksh1,700.
Those earning Ksh200,000 will have to part with Ksh3,400- up from the current Ksh1,700 indicating a double increment. In addition, Kenyans earning Ksh500,000 will pay five-fold (Ksh8,500 from the current Ksh1,700.)
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The monthly contributions for informal workers are still capped at Ksh500. The regulations will be implemented if Parliament approves the changes.
According to NHIF, the proposed changes are part of the Fund’s bid to ensure all Kenyans take part in the medical scheme by making mandatory monthly contributions.
The new move will see the monthly contributions to the Fund increase to a substantial amount as it recorded Ksh61.5 billion in the 2021 annual contributions.
Other changes proposed by the Fund include the introduction of a biometric system that will contain details of all individuals and enable access to all services.
The last review initiated by NHIF came in 2015 whereby they increased the amount from Ksh320 to an average of Ksh500 to Ksh1,700.
The government has been adamant in its call to all Kenyans to join the Fund in order to ensure a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) project initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta as part of his Big Four Agenda.
Currently, the number of employed Kenyans stands at an average of 17.4 million in the year 2020 which indicated a decrease from 18.1 million individuals in 2019.
