Double NHIF Rates In 2015. “I Earn Peanuts & Can’t Afford This.”

By Jane Okoth

It is the hope of every Kenyan to live under a comfortable roof, afford a decent lifestyle as well as access affordable medical care.

All this can be attained if you have enough financial resources courtesy of a well paying job.

Robert Mailu, a Casual Laborer at a Flower farm operating in the outskirts of Nairobi is not so lucky to be enjoying such privileges.

Robert who earns a gross salary of 17,000 shillings has been working in the company for close to 12 years.

“Whenever I ask my employer for a raise or a promotion in my job, he always brushes off the idea. I have managed to survive with this little salary for a long time,” he laments.

“However, my main issue is the new NHIF rates that the government is soon planning on implementing. I earn peanuts and cannot cope with these monthly deductions that are set to increase since am yet to benefit from it,” he adds.

This is because Kenyan employees will have to dig deeper into their pockets, thanks to the New Medical Scheme Rates.

The standard newspaper reports that “Kenyans may start paying the new National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) rates from January next year.”

What next for Kenyan employees like Robert who are underpaid and yet have to be deducted of their salaries?

“As an employee, it is your right to receive medical care which you are entitled to by your employer,” opines Milly Akinyi, An Accountant at a Government parastatal in Kakamega.

She adds on that “Kenyans need to stop complaining about these deductions because they will benefit them at the end.”

There is a need to balance policies if they are keen on implementing them,” argues Douglas Simiyu, a Bank Teller at a local bank in the country.

“As much as the COTU organization is supporting this idea, could it have been better if they worked on raising the employees’ salaries first before going ahead to support the new cuts?” he poses.

“Some of us have never received any pay increase in years yet our salaries are subjected to unjustifiable deductions,” he explains.

“The deductions are going to favor people who earn more in their salaries. Instead of burdening us the government should come up with more solutions on how to help workers,” he suggests.

Milly Akinyi also thinks that “The ides will be of beneficial to Kenyans if implemented using the right mechanisms.”

“What needs to be done is sensitization of Kenyans who do not understand the value of having a medical cover.

The perception that most Kenyans do have is that the government is only focused on deducting their money for no good reason,” she says.

She elaborates that “If Kenyans are educated and meant to see the point in the new rates; they would then spend less time criticizing and opposing it.”

“I seem to agree that Kenyans lost their faith and trust in these pension and medical schemes paraded by the government,” points out Flora Achieng, a business lady working in Nairobi.

“They need to put their house together and convince Kenyans otherwise because their reputation is on the line.” She concludes.

As an employee, are you ready for the new rates to be implemented?

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