Following news that the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) might collapse within two years, Kenyans have gone online to express their anger at mismanagement at the national health insurer.
NHIF which is led by an acting CEO Nicodemus Odongo and Board chair Hannah Muriirhi has continued to be a house of scandals and rip-off where the poor a re robbed and the rich are catered for, even after former CEO Geoffrey Mwangi and Finance Director Kurgat were fired in December 2018.
Hannah who was appointed sometimes in April 2018 by then Health CS Sicily Kariuki has continued to rule NHIF like her own kitchen, where she holds meeting more than is required by the law.
“She is a corrupt person who doesn’t let the CEO decide anything. It appears she is acting with i impunity due to her closeness with PS Kibicho”, said a source.
We have documented the scandals at NHIF where when Hannah Muriithi was appointed, she irregularly gave a contract worth half a billion to a law firm she has an interest in.
MMC Africa was paid Ksh500 million to do works that the internal legal systems at NHIF could’ve done at less cost.
Ms Hannah is said to have been paid Ksh40 million as kickback for the deal.
As reported in the impending collapse of NHIF, ‘ the agency’s administrative costs remain way too high, which reflects inefficiencies in the system’.
Kenyans are also being forced to accept the punitive changes that President Uhuru Kenyatta overturned late last year by being told that NHIF risks collapse within two years if the proposed changes by Hannah Muriithi to punish the poor more are not affected.
In the proposed changes, users were required to pay an upfront one-year subscription at registration. NHIF’s acting head of registration R.O Otom imposed new regulations with punitive measures to deter defaulting in monthly contributions. Which is really anti-poor, anti-UHC, anti-everything that is humane.
NHIF was called out last year for being a pro-rich system, Robbing the poor to cater to the rich. Whereas the poor find it hard to access better healthcare at home, the rich are easily flown abroad even for minor surgeries courtesy if NHIF.
What needs to be done
NHIF must fire the entire board that started eating with former suspended CEO Geoffrey Mwangi.
“The board needs to go’, Kenyans appear to be saying on social media.
Hannah Muriithi needs to be replaced and marched to the nearest court for crimes against Kenyan patients.
READ ABOUT NHIF SCANDALS BY CLICKING HERE
Below are some views we sampled from Kenyans
https://twitter.com/Disembe/status/1226775426166644736?s=20
THEY want more money to steal.
Let it collapse if all it needs is 'more money' as opposed to good governance and fixing corruption. https://t.co/b3qQyJwuCg
— My Little Rafiki. (@kirigwi) February 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/GithakaKGithaka/status/1226765611121958912?s=20
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