The front entrance of the NHIF building in Nairobi. NHIF Chief Executive
Officer Simon ole Kirgotty has now called a consultative meeting with
public servants and teachers to discuss the controversial new NHIF
rates. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
National Hospital Insurance Fund Chief Executive Officer Simon
ole Kirgotty has now called a consultative meeting with public servants
and teachers to discuss the controversial new NHIF rates.
The
NHIF boss has written to Trade Unions Congress (TUC-K)
Secretary-General Wilson Sossion, inviting its officials for a
consultative meeting to address differences over the rates.
“Further
to consultations held on January 28-30 2015 on the revised NHIF
contributions, NHIF is committed to engaging TUC-K in further
consultations on the new rates,” wrote Mr Kirgotty, in a letter dated
May 27.
He further stated: “This is to invite you to a
consultative meeting on Tuesday, June 2015 at the NHIF building, NHIF
boardroom, 10th floor at 10am.”
Talks between the fund
and the union collapsed in January after the NHIF unilaterality gazetted
new rates before agreeing on them with various stakeholders.
Already,
teachers and civil servants, who comprise the majority of the TUC-K
membership, have threatened a major industrial action to protest against
the new rates by July if the government does not stop the deductions.
TSC IMPLEMENTED ORDER
Last
month, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) implemented the order by
the NHIF on the new rates but this month, teachers have been excluded
from the levies.
No explanation has been given by the
TSC on why it failed to make the deductions, but Mr Sossion confirmed
that teachers have not paid the new rates this month.
“This
month the TSC has not made any deductions based on the new rates but
last month they did. We insist that if NHIF want to stick to the new
rates then teachers are better off with the new comprehensive insurance
scheme by the TSC through AoN, which will come into effect from July 1,”
he stated.
Union of Kenya Civil Servants chairman Tom
Odege confirmed that though civil servants were spared the deductions by
various ministries in April, they have paid the contributions this
month as gazetted.
“We are saddened that this month the
government has deducted money from our pay towards the NHIF’s new
medical scheme. We want to warn the fund that they should stop any
further deductions because if they do we shall withdraw our services
from July 1,” Mr Odege said.
He said that money
targeted by the NHIF was too much yet only so little was expected from
the fund due to its previous scandalous records.
“We
have already warned Mr Kirgotty that we shall withdraw from the current
medical scheme for civil servants and members of the Armed Forces if he
doesn’t stop this thing,” said Mr Odege.
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