The state has rebranded the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which replaced the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to Taifa Care.
In his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, President William Ruto remarked that Kenyans had shifted from the National Health Insurance Fund model to Taifa Care.
All throughout his speech, the President referred to Taifa Care when referring to the new model.
SHIF was Kenya’s latest step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), replacing the NHIF.
He expressed confidence in the model (Taifa Care) to provide effective and efficient service to the public.
“Despite serving a limited class of citizens, NHIF nevertheless accumulated billions of shillings of debt because of misalignment between contributions and the actual cost of healthcare. Taifa Care has undertaken an accurate costing of all healthcare-related goods and services, in order to provide timely, effective and efficient service to everyone,” he stated.
He went on to state that under Taifa Care, citizens are eligible for all services upon registration.
“Taifa Care has undertaken an accurate costing of all healthcare-related goods and services, in order to provide timely, effective and efficient service to everyone,” he added.
Since its rollout on October 1, 2024, the public has raised concerns over SHIF’s effectiveness; citing that the new system locks out thousands of patients from accessing healthcare services.
Critics have also accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of rushing to roll out a Sh104.8 billion system that was full of missteps, questioning why the government ignored signs of imminent trouble.
In his address, the head of state noted that over 15 million Kenyans have currently enrolled in Taifa Care and 60 per cent of employers had successfully transitioned into the system.
“Once the transition from NHIF is complete and SHIF becomes fully operational, Kenya will have a healthcare system that guarantees dignity, peace of mind and equitable access for every citizen for the very first time in our 60 years of independence,” the president said.
