More taxes for employees as President Ruto signs four UHC Bills into law

President William Ruto on Thursday signed four Universal Health Coverage (UHC) bills into law.

The four bills include the Primary Health Care Bill, Facility Improvement Financing Bill, Digital Health Bill and the Social Health Insurance Bill.

The Primary Health Care Bill will help provide a framework for the effective delivery and management of health services using Primary Healthcare Networks (PCNs) and Community Health Units.

It will also entrench the role of the Community Health Promoters in the provision of community-based primary healthcare services.

The Facility Improvement Financing Bill will seek to provide for an efficient, secure and accountable mechanism for the collection, retention and management of revenue derived from health services. 

On the other hand, the Digital Health Bill will be used in developing and maintaining the Comprehensive Integrated Management Information System (CIMIS) to manage the core digital systems and the infrastructure required for its seamless health information exchange.

The Social Health Bill will transit from the current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which will now enable all Kenyans to access quality care, regardless of their financial status.

This now means that Kenyans employed in the formal sector will make a monthly contribution of 2.75 percent of their salary capped at a minimum of Ksh.300 and a maximum of Ksh.5,000.