Ministry of Health has ordered a change in the mandatory payment for polygamous families

Polygamous families will have to pay fewer deductions under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) if the new changes are approved.

At a parliamentary meeting between the National Assembly’s Delegated Legislation Committee and Health Ministry officials on Thursday, MPs raised concerns over the proposal that would require individuals with additional spouses to pay additional premiums under the medical scheme.

This means that if a man has two wives, he must by law pay 2.75 percent per wife, as they are considered different households. This means that the man would pay 5.5 percent under the SHIF scheme.

The MPs argued that the proposal should be revised and the term ‘additional spouse’ replaced by ‘household’.

If the proposal is approved, it will mean that a man with two wives will only have to pay 2.75 percent, as it will then be recognized as one household.

In response, Medical Services PS Harry Kimtai assured lawmakers that the proposal would be considered and the language refined.

Committee chairman Samuel Chepkonga (Ainabkoi) instructed the PS to issue a corrigendum within a week after the necessary changes were made.

A corrigendum in this case refers to a document containing work that has been corrected in a publication.

During the proceedings, the committee also raised concerns about whether the regulations would meet the expectations of Kenyans.

The lawmakers noted that all considerations of Kenyans must be assessed before the new medical plan is implemented.

The Ministry of Health stipulated that all Kenyans must register with the SHIF by June 30, 2024, ahead of the official rollout on July 1, 2024.

In the meantime, Kenyans will still contribute to the original National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) before the new scheme takes over.

Here is an example of the SHIF registration form: