On 2018-11-21, Members of Parliament protested a medical cover review that left some of their wives outside the scheme and capped dependents at five. The dispute was raised during a Kamukunji chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi, where lawmakers said the arrangement was too restrictive for their families’ health needs.
The session, held behind closed doors, also settled on pushing for a new insurance provider. MPs complained that the current insurer was delivering poor service and, in some cases, forcing them to pay hospital bills out of pocket for family members.
Budalang’i MP Raphael Wanjala was quoted as asking: “How do you explain to your other wife – after she has campaigned for you – that she cannot be covered because Parliament has limited it to one spouse?”
Another lawmaker told the meeting that the existing medical arrangement was frustrating members and leaving some families without adequate support when they sought treatment.
The Parliamentary Service Commission had reviewed the scheme to cover only the MP and a maximum of five dependents.
