NGAO targets to register 12 million Kenyans for Universal Health Coverage – CS Kindiki

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has announced that the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) are set to successfully register 12 million Kenyans for the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.

Speaking at a collaborative meeting between the Interior and Health ministries on Wednesday, Kindiki expressed confidence in the NGAO's capability to execute the task efficiently.

"We have approximately 106,000 Village Elders, over 9,000 Assistant Chiefs, and about 4,000 Chiefs... there is no other Government machinery that can deliver the UHC efficiently, fast, effectively and at minimal cost," he said.

Currently, Kenya is organised into various administrative units, including eight regions, 47 counties, and nearly 10,000 sub-locations, making the NGAO uniquely positioned to lead this initiative.

CS Kindiki assured his counterpart in the Health Ministry, Deborah Barasa, that the NGAO would replicate its success from previous initiatives, including the rapid registration of over 6.5 million farmers for a subsidised fertiliser programme.

"I am persuaded just like we supported and delivered in the registration of farmers... we will deliver in the UHC registration in record time and at minimal cost to the government of Kenya," Kindiki stated.

On her part, Health CS Barasa said all the work that has been put into this programme will be meaningless if people at the grassroots don't know about it.

Barasa noted that it is the reason the Health Ministry is tapping into the expertise of the NGAO officers.

"The reason we are here today is because of the tremendous experience, good connections, the prompt sensitisation you have been able to do at the community level. We really need your expertise. We need to leverage your platform to sensitise and inform the community on the benefits, and register to get affordable and quality healthcare," the CS said.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki speaking during a collaborative meeting on UHC between Interior and Health ministries at Kenya School of Government on September 25, 2024. (Photo: MINA)

The Interior boss stressed the importance of clear and simple messaging from the Ministry of Health to ensure that the information reaches people at the grassroots level.

"What we require from this meeting is very simplified information which can be consumed by the person at the grassroots," Kindiki added.

Groundwork

In a separate discussion on the potential success of UHC under President William Ruto's administration, Kindiki highlighted the groundwork laid over the past two years.

He pointed out that previous administrations struggled to implement UHC due to various challenges, including resistance and misunderstandings.

"The late third president Mwai Kibaki had an attempt at UHC... it was not possible mainly because of resistance and misunderstanding. The immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta had a go at this and again it did not pick up," the CS explained.

However, Kindiki noted that the current administration has established a legal framework to support UHC implementation, with laws such as the Primary Healthcare Act and the Social Health Act now in place. This legal structure, he argues, is crucial for the programme's success.

"The National Government Administration officers and the National Government Administration System exist to support government agenda at the grassroots across all functions of government," Kindiki said, reaffirming the role of NGAO in this vital initiative.

Last week President Ruto met Ministry of Health officials, governors and other stakeholders amid preparations for the launch of the roll-out of Universal Health Coverage at State House, Nairobi.

The universal health coverage, Social Health Authority (SHA) will be launched in October.

The Head of State said the roll-out of Universal Health Coverage will require an all-of-government approach, including the counties, to mobilise Kenyans to understand the benefits of this transformative and inclusive programme.

"We call on everyone to register via *147# or sha.go.ke ahead of the roll-out on October 1, 2024," Ruto said.