The Central Organization of Trade Unions, COTU (K) is surprised at allegations made by a section of the civil society’s Bunge la Mwananchi that the Secretary General was approached by the Amit Thankrar of behalf of the private insurance health providers with a view into opposing the new NHIF Scheme for the civil servants.
Such claims are outrageous, ridiculous and meant to direct public attention from the real issues at the NHIF by engaging such mouths of hire and promising them handouts to speak anything including an issue of outrightly have no grap on
If indeed the suspended NHIF Chief Executive Officer Richard Kerich has any credible evidence against the COTU (K) Secretary General should proceed to the Criminal Investigation Department, CID Headquarters and record a statement on the same other than hiring individuals to mudsling people, peddling rumors and/lies in efforts to justify the cash extended to them for such a criminal excuse.
COTU (K) further, wishes to clarify that our position since 2010 June has been towards the opposition of the new NHIF rates where COTU (K) has taken the matter to court and the issues of the civil servants scheme is new and recent and came to the fore months after COTU (K) had raised its reservations to the effect that the NHIF does not have the capacity to handle such huge funds that was to be realized out of workers from the increased rates.
COTU (K) will not allow itself to fall prey to such cheap politics propagated by corrupt individuals and we are wondering why the suspended NHIF CEO has not been arrested and charged in a court of law even after such overwhelming evidence adduced from the two medical facilities at the centre of the scam. Who is shielding this CEO even after the President a stern warning that those behind the scam will be prosecuted?
The government paid the NHIF …….. for the scheme and this as tax-payers’ money and anybody involved in the scam must be held to account other than being left to continue using the same cash to hire goons to mudsling people.
All we need are reforms at the NHIF and we urge the Union of Kenya Civil Servants and Kenya National Union of Teachers to demand for such reforms in order to resolve to the NHIF to be able to handle such huge funds amid enough health facilities to cater for workers other than as presently constituted where there are no facilities yet the NHIF is demanding to collect huge amounts of money from workers.
Francis Atwoli, MBS
SECRETARY GENERAL