State orders Lifestyle audit for NHIF employees as part of its anti-graft campaign

This month, as part of a crackdown on fraud that has cost the government-run insurer billions of shillings, the State will conduct a lifestyle audit on every employee of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

The exercise, which will target all 1,835 of the fund’s employees, will begin in the coming days, according to Susan Nakhumicha, secretary of the Health Cabinet.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is anticipated to help with the exercise that will initially exclude contractors doing business with the NHIF in order to verify the wealth held by each employee.

The exercise is anticipated to shock employees at the fund, which is currently reeling from numerous corruption scandals.

“We are going to commence an elaborate lifestyle audit on all staff of NHIF. This is to ensure that each member of staff can explain their wealth portfolio inconsistent with their earnings,” said Ms Nakhumicha Monday.

“This will commence this month in conjunction with the EACC but will continue progressively and will continue to the end of the year.”

The goal of the upcoming lifestyle audit is to make sure that employees’ salaries are in line with their quality of life.

It does so at a time when the Cabinet Secretary has also suspended eight branch managers of the fund over claims that they used conventional methods to take advantage of Kenyans.

She also instructed the NHIF board to take action against employees who were allegedly working with the cartels to defraud innocent bystanders.

Ms. Nakhumicha invited the source of the NTV exposé to help the EACC detectives with their inquiries.

Afya Bora Hospital, Amal Hospital Limited, Beirut Pharmacy and Medical Centre, Jekim Medical Centre, Joy Nursing and Maternity Eastleigh, and St Peter’s Orthopedics and Surgical Speciality are a few of the hospitals mentioned in the program.

“I wish to express my disappointment at the staff at my ministry who took part in this callous syndicate. I met with the NHIF board chair and instructed him to commence investigations, including inviting the whistleblower to share details regarding this heartless and ruthless cartel,” she said.

Due to the enormous sum of money that the Treasury owes to the NHIF, it has been difficult for it to stay afloat.

All rural private hospitals were compelled to go on strike at the beginning of this month in order to demand that their funds for the April and June 2023 quarters be released to the facilities before they can resume providing their services.

After numerous attempts to involve the NHIF board in negotiations failed, the hospitals were forced to collect payment directly from patients.

The National Treasury later released the money owed, which was a huge relief for the sick patients who, for the most part, lack private insurance coverage.