Schools may be required to turn away kids who have not registered for the new health program, the Social Health Authority (SHA), when they return in January.
According to top government advisor Moses Kuria, the government intends to return home all unregistered children in an effort to register all Kenyans.
Kuria stated at a Homecoming Sabbath at SDA Church Ngarariga in Limuru’s Bibirioni district that the government is pushing for Taifa Care to be fully adopted.
Kuria noted that SHA adoption has been low among children, but the vocal advisor highlighted the new plan being developed to remedy this.
“If you are a parent and you have registered yourself for SHA and have not registered your child, the record that is being kept at the school of your child will be set aside this January,” Kuria asserted. He added, “Starting January, we are going to set aside all the records of children in schools. And for your child to be accepted back to school, you must have registered them for SHA.”
This Monday, the government stated that schools across the country will reopen for the first term on January 6, 2025, and will finish on April 4 after 13 weeks of schooling.
The Ministry of Education has not released any announcements regarding the strategy; however, in August, the Ministry insisted that parents register their children for the plan.
During the scheme’s introduction in October, then-Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha indicated that the cap on the number of dependents registered per household will be removed.
The government claimed that anyone can register all of their dependents without limit, as long as they support them financially.
“There’s no limit to how many children you can include as long as you take care of them financially,” read the statement.
Furthermore, polygamous families will not be compelled to submit a separate contribution for each wife, as previously believed.
The action comes as the government experiments with various methods to encourage the use of SHA.
Already, the government has launched a door-to-door effort through Community Health Providers.
The Ministry of Health has also solicited assistance from churches in increasing the adoption of SHA.
Another aspect of the plan is a campaign in each county, which is being carried out in partnership with governors, senators, and MPs.
By mid-last week, 14 million Kenyans had registered under the new scheme, including 8 million fresh registrations.
Six million Kenyans have successfully transitioned from the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
