Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has urgently called for public participation in the validation of the new Social Health Insurance benefits package. The validation exercise is set to take place on Friday, August 30, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, starting at 9 am.

“Having undertaken public participation and stakeholder engagement and incorporated feedback from the public and stakeholders, the Cabinet Secretary and the Board of the Social Health Authority shall hold a National Validation Exercise on the Tariffs to the Benefit Package,” Barasa stated in a public notice.

The new benefits package, developed in consultation with the Social Health Authority Board, comes as part of the Social Health Insurance Act No. 16 of 2023, which was enacted on October 19, 2023. This legislation is set to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), with mass registration for the new fund commencing on July 1, 2024.

Timothy Olweny, Chairman of the Social Health Authority, reported that over 500,000 Kenyans have already registered for the new program. “We will be better than NHIF. The transition is going to be very smooth,” Olweny assured, despite ongoing court cases affecting the rollout.

He confirmed that the Social Health Insurance Fund aims to be fully operational by October 1, providing additional services not previously covered by NHIF. Preparations are underway to ensure a seamless start to the new initiative, promising a significant upgrade in healthcare coverage for Kenyans.