Gov't sets aside Ksh.200M fund for police officers who exhaust NHIF cover limit

Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Karanja Kibicho now says that the government has reserved a Ksh. 200 million kitty to cushion police officers who exhaust their annual National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover limits.

The arrangement, according to Kibicho, will see police officers make ex gratia claims through a committee constituted by the Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai. 

NHIF will release a list of eligible officers who meet the requirements for the initiative, in the 2020/21 financial year, after which the funds will be released.

“The PS who appeared before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee to respond to concerns flagged by the Office of the Auditor General Office for the FY 2020/21 also acknowledged delays in settling compensation claims to officers for injuries and accidental death in the line of duty,” the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.  

“He attributed the delays to the process of reviewing and authenticating the clams by the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS).”

The PS also clarified that his Ministry, in the full year 2020/21, paid Ksh.2 billion owed to suppliers servicing an affordable housing project for the National Police Service (NPS).

While attributing delays in completion of several police stations to budgetary constraints, the PS revealed that outstanding claims amounting to Ksh.5.2 billion have also been reconciled. He likewise stated that the outstanding balance of Ksh.2.9 billion will be cleared in the 2022/23 financial year.

Kibicho also revealed that passport processing time had now been shortened to 14 days from the previous 90 days following the introduction of new procedures at the Immigration department.