Moses Kuria Reveals 10,000 Boda Riders to Receiver 50% Waiver on SHA Deductions

Senior Economic Advisor in the Office of the President, Moses Kuria, revealed that over 10,000 Embu boda boda riders will have 50 per cent of their Taifa care premiums paid by Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire.

During a consultative meeting with Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire in readiness for a mass registration drive in the county, Kuria revealed that the boda boda riders will get benefits through Mbarire’s Afyaboda na Karinda programme. 

“I held a meeting with leaders from Boda Boda Associations in all 20 wards in Embu County representing over 10,000 riders. The riders will have 50% of their Taifa Care premiums paid for by the Embu County Government under the Afyaboda an Karinda programme by Governor Cecily Mbarire,” Kuria stated.

Kuria noted that the balance would be remitted by the riders through their mobile money automatically in small daily installments.  

The agreement with the associations would see the riders in return assist in registering Embu citizens for Taifa Care alongside other Community Health Promoters (CHPs).

Under Taifa Care, non-salaried Kenyans, where the majority of boda boda riders fall under, are required to contribute 2.75 per cent of their household income with a minimum contribution of Ksh300.

With the latest partnership, boda boda riders in Embu will be required to remit a minimum contribution of Ksh150 with Mbarire’s program catering for the remaining half.

Households that fail to make their contributions on time will be subjected to a penalty equivalent to 2 per cent of the unpaid contribution for the period in question. Employees’ Social Health Insurance Fund contributions will be primarily managed through the SHA employer portal.

By enrolling in Taifa Care, Kenyans can access primary healthcare services for free at contracted facilities. This is all in line with President William Ruto’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) initiative.

As of November 2024, over 15 million Kenyans had registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Lamu, Kiambu, and Bomet are among the top five counties with the most registrations, while Turkana, Garissa, Mandera, West Pokot, and Marsabit have the lowest registration numbers.

At the same time, Kuria noted that Embu county was the second after Mombasa to fully digitize its health sector and have one hundred per cent paperless health delivery in all its 109 county hospitals.