The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is seeking to punish Kenyans above 18 years old who are yet to register with the insurer.
According to chief executive Peter Kamunyo, NHIF will table the draft regulations before Parliament, also noting that they will consider public participation over the same.
"We are now drafting the regulations and some of the issues will be the penalty for those who do not register.
"We will submit them before Parliament as the law demands and then open them to public debate this month," Kamunyo said.
In September 2021, Members of Parliament (MPs) passed a bill compelling all Kenyans to be members of NHIF with employers topping up contributions of those who pay less than KSh 500 monthly.
The bill also obliged adults to pay KSh 500 monthly or KSh 6,000 annually in a remodeled Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme for outpatient and inpatient services.
The services include maternity, dialysis, cancer treatment, and surgery
However, the National Government will pay contributions for vulnerable Kenyans who are not in a position to self-fund their monthly contributions.
NHIF identifies orphaned and vulnerable children, widows or widowers, disabled persons, or the elderly as vulnerable persons.
The NHIF (Amendment) Act 2021 states that an unregistered Kenyan above 18 years old shall be liable for a fine not exceeding KSh 1 million shillings or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
