Informal Sector Participation in National Health Insurance in Kenya

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) scheme is a social protection scheme established in 1966 to increase access to health care by reducing Out of Pocket expenditure for Kenyans. Initially the scheme targeted the formal sector (people in permanent and pensionable government employment). The scheme was formally opened to the unemployed retirees and the informal sector populations (these are ‘semi-formal’ employees and the self-employed like the drivers artisans businessmen farmers fishermen hawkers’ vegetable vendors) in 2011. Despite the scheme having been opened to both the formal and informal sector there has been low enrolment from people in the informal sector. This study sought to investigate factors affecting participation of people in the informal sector in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) scheme in Kakamega County. Kakamega County has an estimated economically active population of 29661 in the informal sector. The study adopted a correlation design. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling was used to recruit participants in the study.