Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1094367,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1094367/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 249,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. John Njuguna Wanjiku, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "The Member for Kiambaa",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you. I rise to support the Second Reading of this Bill. I would like to make some contributions towards it. The majority of low income Kenyans lack medical insurance, forcing them to pay hospital bills out of their pockets leaving families vulnerable to high treatment costs. It is from this background that I stand to support this Bill. Workers in the informal sector currently pay Kshs500 to the NHIF monthly. This amount will be reduced to Kshs300, making the scheme affordable to people in the low income cadres, who constitute a majority of the hustlers in this country. This move should help get as many people as possible in the category so as to accord them the opportunity to enjoy the aspirations of UHC. I reckon that workers in the informal sector used to pay Kshs350 as monthly contribution before the rate was increased to Kshs500 six years ago – a move that was meant to boost NHIF collections from the informal sector. This move has been counterproductive due to affordability thus locking out this category from accessing NHIF cover. This is a group whose daily trouble includes access to food. So, they must not again be trapped by high monthly subscriptions. Therefore, I laud the intention of this Bill, which seeks to ensure that many Kenyans, particularly persons who are in the informal sector and those who are not working, afford to make contributions to the NHIF by reducing the rate from the current Kshs500 to Kshs300 per month. Lowering the monthly contribution will also help address the pain brought about by the CORONA-19 pandemic layoffs and salary cuts – which have forced more than half of NHIF active members to stop paying the premiums. I, therefore, support the Bill. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, today, being my first day, I would like to digress a little bit and take this opportunity to thank the great people of Kiambaa for believing in me, supporting me and entrusting me with their votes. There are quite a number of challenges we faced during the by-election. Apart from that, I also want to take this opportunity to thank so many people, especially people from Kiambaa Constituency all the way from Cianda, Karuri, Muchatha, Kiharu and Ndenderu wards. I, really, want to thank them for believing in me and entrusting me with their votes. I want to tell them categorically that I will work hard to ensure that I honour the promises that I made to them."
}