This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
Kenya's senior citizens have been left in the dark regarding the government's promise of free National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover, alongside a monthly stipend, since January 2018.
According to the Ministry of Health, it received Sh636.26 million against the Sh2.2 billion requested in the year to June to cater for the free NHIF cover for the elderly.
As a result, the 523,000 beneficiaries have faced frustrations in their effort to access the free medical services since the launch of the 'Inua Jamii' cash transfer programme last year.
Ministry of Health chief administrative secretary Rashid Amana explained that the ministry did not receive all the money it had budgeted for the financial year ending June 2019.
Under the programme, citizens above the age of 70 are entitled to a Sh2,000 monthly allowance, paid every two months in a Sh4,000 lumpsum under a cash transfer scheme.
However, some senior citizens have been turned away from accredited medical facilities despite their names being in the beneficiaries list, citing non-functional NHIF cards.
MPs are now questioning the rationale of the scheme and who the beneficiaries of the Sh636.26 million released for free NHIF cover were.
Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu posed a question, 'If this is a fraud, who committed it?'
On Tuesday, August 6, 2019, the issue was brought to light, sparking concerns over the delayed remittances and alleged fraud.
