NHIF assures no job losses as transition to Social Health Authority begins

Tension among NHIF staff has been reported due to a new vetting and recruitment exercise to be conducted by the SHA. As of Saturday evening, the management reported that 1.9 million Kenyans had already registered with the SHA. 

58 years of NHIF’s legacy, often marred by corruption, is coming to an end, making way for the new Social Health Authority.

The transition has created anxiety among NHIF employees, many of whom now feel uncertain about their future under the new employer. However, NHIF’s management has assured staff that there will be no layoffs."

“No employee will be fired; no employee will lose their job. After SHA finalizes its human resources framework, they will recruit those they need," said NHIF CEO Elijah Wachira. 

The Social Health Insurance Act of 2023, which established the framework for the SHA, allows the transfer of assets and contractual obligations from NHIF to SHA.

“If there are employment contracts with NHIF, they will automatically be transferred to SHA,” adds the NHIF CEO.

However, a report released in March 2024 by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed significant irregularities within NHIF, leading to the loss of millions of shillings. NHIF management has since been working to remove corrupt individuals.

“Where there is proof of someone being involved in corruption, we have parted ways with them. Where it is just an allegation without proof, people under investigation have been cleared," Mr. Wachira further states. 

On Friday, opposition to the SHA led to disruptions in the training of healthcare workers across the country, threatening to slow down the rollout process. Despite this, the management reports an increase in the number of registrations.

“Yesterday, we recorded 120,000 new registrations, and the day before that, 100,000. We now have around 1.9 million Kenyans registered, and the speed of registrations continues to increase,” adds Wachira.

A new regulation in the registration process is expected to accelerate the enrollment of Kenyans.

“While we have 70% of the data that will be transferred, 25% of the registration needs to be redone. I am confident we will have 20 million Kenyans registered in due course,” adds Wachira.