Parents resist order to register learners on Shif, want details

Anger and confusion greeted the directive by the Ministry of Education requiring parents to register all learners under the Social Health Insurance Fund (Shif).

While some parents dismissed the directive as a total joke, others claimed they were unaware of it and accused the Ministry of mismanaging the education sector. Others said that the forced listing lacked public participation and termed it a strategy to push parents to list for the already rejected medical plan.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang directed all students to register for SHIF within the next two days before the new school term begins.

“All school-going children are, therefore, required to register as dependents of their parents before school opening dates for the third term of 2024,” said Dr Kipsang.

However, several parents said they would not adhere to the directive until they receive full details about the plan. They argued this is a way to make them register for the new medical scheme yet the government had stopped EduAfya, a scheme that catered for students.

Mandatory listing

National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa questioned why the government wants to register students afresh when students in public secondary schools have benefited from government-paid cover. 

“The government has the data for those students in Form Two to Form Four in the defunct Edu Afya medical scheme. We can only register those who had not been covered,” he said.

Kamau Mwangi, a parent in Nairobi, questioned the mandatory enrolment. “The government is using students to mandate the enrolment of all adults into the new medical scheme. Once you register, you will have no option to opt out,” he warned.

James Mwenda said the two days duration was insufficient. He pointed out that the SHIF system is designed to serve 14.4 million Kenyans daily, including 10.364 million children in primary schools and 4.4 million in secondary schools.

In Rift Valley, parents described the directive as untimely and an addition to the uncertainties rocking the education sector ahead of school reopening.

Miriam Muiruri from Nakuru said that the move was impossible for parents due to the timeline given. “Since yesterday, I have been trying to access the system using my phone as per the text message I received, but it is not working,” she said.

George Macharia said he is unaware of the role of SHIF in connection with education. “I am hearing it for the first time, the government should be serious when it comes to matters touching the health and education of our children,” he lamented.

In Kericho, parents urged the government to extend the registration period. Led by chairman Zablon Cheruiyot, they described the three-day notice as insufficient, particularly given that many parents are still unfamiliar with the specifics of SHIF.

“Parents have been told to register for the new fund, yet they lack adequate information about the registration process and other requirements. Most of them don’t even know how to navigate the online registration. We are therefore, saying we cannot meet the deadline,” he said.

Hurriedly done

Similarly, parents in Nandi County opposed the decision saying the government should instead revert to the old medical scheme, which was phased out under unclear circumstances late last year. Caroline Mutai, a parent in Kapsabet said it was shocking that onboarding on plan was hurriedly done.

“It is sad that such a decision was made without consultations. I am not aware of what is entailed in the new cover since the stakeholders were not involved,” she lamented.

In Trans Nzoia County, parents said it was impossible for parents, who are busy looking for fees, to abide by the order.

County Parents Association chairman, Wellington Waliaula, said the notice was too short for parents to enrol on SHIF before schools reopen for third term.

In Mombasa, parents said they were not aware of the directive. Others said the timeline was short, while a majority said the directive added to the confusion shrouding the start of the third term.

Similarly, parents in Central, Nyanza and Western regions also criticized the move and claimed they require guidance on how to register learners to the new system.

[Reports by Mike Kihaki, Nikko Tanui, Yvonne Chepkwony, Boniface Gikandi, Joachim Bwana, Anne Atieno Edward Kosut and Martin Ndiema]