Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has commended the progress of Taifa Care programme, saying it is revolutionising access to healthcare across Kenya.
Speaking at his Karen residence during a meeting with elected leaders from the Coastal counties on Monday, Kindiki announced that as of July 28, registration stood at over 25 million.
He hailed the programme as transformative, adding that the government targets to have between 40 to 45 million Kenyans onboard over the next one year.
“Today we are celebrating because at around noon we hit the 25 million registration mark for Kenyans who have registered for medical insurance,” Kindiki said.
“If there is one transformative measure which is going to be remembered for a long time under this administration, it is Universal Health Care, enabling as many citizens as possible to have a medical cover. We are hoping that in the next one year, we can reach 40 to 45 million. It is possible,” he said.
The Deputy President noted that so far, Mombasa county remains the leading countrywide in terms of registration to the Taifa Care programme.
“Taifa Care is doing well, and the Coastal counties are doing well. Mombasa is leading the whole country with 71 per cent of the population with medical insurance,” he stated.
According to Kindiki, the next phase of the initiative will focus on perfecting the health insurance system.
He said this includes improving hospital infrastructure, ensuring the steady supply of medicines, addressing staffing shortages, and enhancing the reimbursement mechanism to ensure health facilities receive timely payments.
“The fine-tuning is going to be the work for the next five or so years. We want to onboard as many Kenyans as possible to public medical insurance, and then we perfect it,” he explained.
Taifa Care seeks to ensure that every Kenyan, regardless of income level, has access to quality healthcare without suffering financial hardship.
The programme consolidates various health insurance schemes into a single framework that is easier to access, particularly for informal sector workers and rural communities.
