NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 23 – Parliament will probe the failure of the Edu-Afya medical scheme for secondary students in Kenya.
The Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) has asked the Committee on Public Petition to investigate a petition that was sponsored by Joyce Cherono for Parliament to probe the poor implementation of the scheme by the Ministry of Education.
“The Speaker has directed the committee to consider the petition and report its findings to the House pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 227(2) which requires the Committee to respond within ninety (90) calendar days from the date of committal to the Committee,” the NA statement reads.
“This therefore means the report should be ready on or before May 17, 2023,” it added.
Edu-Afya was launched in 2017 by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta through a directive to cater for Kenya’s public secondary students.
In 2018, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MoEST) and National Hospital Fund signed a contract, after which students began accessing the services in 2018.
It aimed to improve the health of secondary school students.
Since it was launched, however, the scheme has faced its fair share of challenges, such as low enrolment of students into the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) data base due to a lack of internet, low principals motivations, and absence of birth certificates among learners.
Other challenges stem from poor communication and insufficient guidelines from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), as well as providers not getting reimbursement of funds.
Cherono recommends procedural clarity in the management of the scheme, and the Ministry of Education should revise the policy on the Edu-Afya Program to include the role of the principals.
“NHIF should conduct training and sensitization in public secondary schools targeting students, teachers and parents. In addition, the Ministry of Education and NHIF should collaboratively liaise with stakeholders in accrediting more local health facilities to enhance proximity of access to healthcare.”
