President William Ruto had a brief moment of discomfort after a huge part of his audience at a church function disapproved of some of his talking points. President William Ruto while addressing the Catholic faithful on Saturday, November 16. The president joined other leaders in Embu on Saturday, November 16, to witness Bishop Peter Kimani’s ordination to the Catholic Diocese of Embu.
In his speech, the president, while directly addressing his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, who was also at the function, sought to enumerate some of the successes of his administration. Why Ruto was booed in Embu As it were, Ruto mentioned the Affordable Housing Project, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) recently rolled out to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), and the employment of teachers.
While underscoring the importance of the affordable housing programme and SHIF rollout, Ruto met the backlash of the citizenry, which jeered at him in disapproval. They could not allow him to conclusively elaborate on the two programmes; he was however determined to wade through the noise. Their reaction indicated dissatisfaction with the current regime and the policies it formulates.
“At the moment, we want to employ 20,000 teachers to help us move forward. My friend, the fourth president, you left me with the affordable housing programme, and right now, I am focused on it. It is 80% done here in Embu, where we have built 160,000 units. I am pushing that agenda because it will employ the youth and take our country forward.
We are also focused on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and from here, I will pass by a hospital in Embu to confirm that what we promised the citizens is being implemented,” Ruto said amid the noise.
He won back the approval of the audience when he acknowledged the receipt of criticism by the Catholic clergy, promising to make amends where necessary. “I have assured the bishops that we will make corrections in the areas they have criticised us because programmes like UHC will make a difference and ensure that no citizen is left behind,” said Ruto. Video; courtesy
How much to Kenyans pay for SHIF? Kenyans have been up in arms about the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) since its rollout last month. Questions abounded about the effectiveness of the new scheme, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), as benefits for those inside it were envisaged to be far less than those of private medical insurance plans. For example, workers earning KSh 100,000 per month in take-home pay would have 2.75% deducted from their income.
This meant they would have to pay KSh 2,750 monthly to the medical programme or KSh 33,000 yearly. The new model reimburses individuals seeking maternity care KSh 10,000 for a typical delivery and KSh 30,000 for a cesarean section. On the other hand, other insurers with comparable salary contribution scales offer an extra KSh 20,000 for a cesarean section and an additional KSh 20,000 for normal delivery.
The new scheme offers KSh 2,240 per day for inpatient services, up to 180 days per household annually. Other insurers, on the other hand, usually provide coverage of up to KSh 500,000 per year, significantly more than the current model offers. At the same time, beneficiaries of optical care receive KSh 950 for spectacles with a limit of KSh 1,000 yearly cap per household. Other providers offer between KSh 7,000 and KSh 10,000 for comparable coverage.
The foregoing discrepancies made Kenyans doubt the effectiveness of the plan. Moreover, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) lamented that the government rolled out SHIF before settling the billions owed to Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) hospitals in the defunct NHIF.
by Kai Eli