Government plans to register over 15 million learners to Taifa Care by April
Under the new Taifa Care scheme, all primary and secondary school learners will now benefit from comprehensive medical coverage.
The government has said it will deploy community health promoters to schools across the country to register over 15 million learners to the Taifa Care health insurance scheme before the end of the term in April.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has urged parents to ensure their children have the required documents for registration as the government works to ensure all learners are covered under Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
More To Read
- Drug shortages and struggle for health equity: Kenya's uphill battle to actualise Universal Health Coverage
- Boost for KMTC as President Ruto announces Sh600 million funding for staff recruitment
- Confusion and concerns persist as Kenyans struggle with new social health insurance scheme
- Ministry of Health under scrutiny over Sh24 billion community health kits deal
He noted that the government is optimistic about meeting its target of enrolling students from early childhood development and education (ECDE) centres, primary, comprehensive, and secondary schools in both public and private institutions.
The registration drive marks a significant expansion from the previous Sh4 billion EduAfya programme, which only covered secondary school students in public schools.
Under the new Taifa Care scheme, all primary and secondary school learners will now benefit from comprehensive medical coverage. By mid-January, over 17 million Kenyans had already been registered under the UHC initiative.
Ogamba expressed his support for the initiative, saying the timing is ideal for the exercise.
“The Ministry of Education applauds the timing of this exercise since our schools have fewer restrictions during term one of the school calendar, as opposed to term three, when we administer national examinations,” Ogamba said.
Birth certificates
He also noted that the ministry is working to ensure that children without birth certificates are issued with the necessary documents during the registration process.
“As you register learners for Taifa Care, we are taking records of those who do not have birth certificates. The Registration Bureau will also register the children and issue them with birth certificates,” he said.
The CS urged all parents to ensure their children are registered as dependants for the health insurance scheme.
“All parents must ensure they are all registered in the Taifa Care programme, and that they list their respective children as dependants, as a way of paving the way to the easy enlisting of all our learners,” Ogamba said.
The CS reiterated that Taifa Care, a significant upgrade to the EduAfya programme, is designed to cover preventive and promotive health services, aiming to keep learners healthy, improve academic performance, and reduce school absenteeism due to illness.
“I urge all parents to enrol all their children as dependants,” Ogamba said, stressing that the programme is a vital step towards a healthier future for Kenya’s learners.
With around 15 million learners currently enrolled in primary and secondary schools, parents have started receiving messages, encouraging them to register their children to the health scheme.
Top Stories Today
