The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has requested the National Treasury to include its staff in the civil servants and National Youth Service insurance programme to cushion those on the frontline fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a letter dated July 8, 2021 addressed to the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, NMS Director-General Mohamed Badi has requested Treasury to fast-track the transfer of the Group Personal Accident (GPA), Work Injury Benefit (WIBA) and Last Expense Cover to National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and expand the Group Life Assurance to include a comprehensive cover with a Covid-19 insurance rider.
“Following the 4th presidential address on Covid-19 pandemic issued on 16th April 2020 by the president directing that a welfare package be developed to cushion civil servants on the frontline fight against Covid-19 through insurance, the Ministry of Public Service and Gender directed the National Treasury to fast-track the process of transfer of the Group Personal Accident , Work Benefit Injury Benefits and Last Expense Cover to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and expand the Group Life Assurance to include a comprehensive Covid-19 insurance rider,” the letter states.
Lt-Gen Badi notes that the contract for the provision of comprehensive group life, last expense, enhanced work injury benefit and group personal accident for civil servants and employees of the National Youth Service erroneously omitted to include Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) staff who are part of the civil servants under transferred functions.
“The purpose of this letter is, therefore, to request the National Treasury through your office to facilitate inclusion of the NMS staff under the current cover which is already in force with the NHIF. The required staff details for inclusion to the existing insurance policies are summarised hereunder,” Lt Gen Badi’s letter says.
The details include an NMS staff population of 7,792 staff members with a total basic monthly salary of Sh132,547,904 and a monthly gross salary of Sh764,595,010.
The staff list will be updated once all the recently recruited staff are incorporated into the payroll.
Lt Gen Badi says that the confirmation of the request and inclusion will enable NMS to offer confidence to its work force who include staff on the frontline battle against Covid-19.
NMS is also reviewing their insurance budget allocations with a view of facilitating the premium payments to NHIF once they submit the cost of the insurance premiums for the cover.
Two weeks ago, the employees, through the Kenya County Government Workers Union, had threatened industrial action after accusing the acting Nairobi Governor Ann Kananu’s administration of planning to enroll them into the NHIF without consultation.
They demanded that the Nairobi County government address their concerns saying the NHIF proposal of a Sh734 million cover will reduce the benefits the staff have been enjoying and will be costlier than the AAR cover currently being offered.
However, the AAR cover does not include GPA, WIBA and Last Expense cover.
The union had also alleged that NHIF will only cover 4,897 workers out of the 12,000 covered in the Sh850 million AAR cover that lapsed.
