This was the first meeting purely involving the Cabinet members since they were sworn into office in August 2024.
The expansion of the Edu Afya and Linda Mama programmes has been given the green light following President William Ruto’s first broad-based Cabinet meeting held at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday, September 17.
This was the first meeting purely involving the Cabinet members since they were sworn into office in August 2024. Among those appointed came from the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party including John Mbadi, who was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning, and Opiyo Wandayi who was nominated for the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
Hassan Joho, the former Governor of Mombasa, was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs while Wycliffe Oparanya was appointed to lead the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development.
Minutes captured in a despatch of the first broad-based Cabinet meeting revealed that the Cabinet members resolved to expand Edu Afya to include all school-going children. This will extend beyond its current focus on secondary school students to include primary schools and Early Child and Development Education centres (ECDE).
President William Ruto leads the first broad-based Cabinet meeting on September 17, 2024. /PCS
“As Kenya transitions into the leagues of nations with universal health coverage, the scope of existing programmes such as Edu Afya will be broadened to encompass all school-going children, extending beyond its current focus on secondary school students,” read the despatch in part.
The Ministry of Education and the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) signed a contract on April 13, 2018, to provide comprehensive medical insurance coverage for students enrolled in all public secondary schools throughout their four-year study duration. Consequently, the Edu Afya Medical Scheme was launched on May 1, 2018.
Edu Afya offered comprehensive medical insurance coverage for students enrolled in all public secondary schools registered with the National Educational Management Information System (NEMIS). The scheme has helped in the diagnosis of previously undetected – and therefore untreated – chronic conditions that cause students to miss school regularly.
Through the cover, the government paid an annual premium of Ksh1,350 per student, before NHIF in December 2023 terminated the Ksh.4.5 billion schools’ insurance scheme, which left more than 3.4 million learners without medical cover.
At the same time, the Cabinet agreed that the Linda Mama Programme would be expanded to not only cover prenatal care but also provide comprehensive postnatal care, ensuring a holistic approach to maternal and child health.
“In tandem, the acclaimed Linda Mama Programme will be expanded to not only cover prenatal care but also provide comprehensive postnatal care, ensuring a holistic approach to maternal and child health. This expansion seeks to safeguard the wellbeing of both mother and child throughout the entire continuum of care,” added the despatch.
In that regard, the Cabinet urged all Kenyans to register under the new scheme through *147# or www.sha.go.ke.The Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), upon rollout, will cater to complications for both mothers and babies, including postnatal care, ICU, newborn ICU, and High Dependency Unit (HDU) services.
The government will be paying Ksh10,000 for any expectant woman giving birth through normal delivery and Ksh34,200 for women undergoing a caesarean section, as per the benefits package. Antenatal and postnatal services will be covered on an outpatient basis at primary health care levels.
Previously, the Education Ministry mandated all parents to ensure that their school-going children were registered under SHIF before Monday, August 26 when schools reopened for the Third Term. Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on August 22 directed that all school-going children must be registered as dependents of their parents before the start of the new school term.
The new health coverage initiative was announced by President William Ruto on August 10, who outlined that all Kenyans would benefit from free healthcare through SHIF.
Despite the benefits from SHIF and the developments, the government has a mountainous task on their hands to get Kenyans to register for the scheme, which was initially declared unconstitutional by the High Court on July 12. However, the court decision was suspended for 45 days following intervention from the Attorney General’s office.
A logo of the Social Health Authority. /FILE