• KRA says it has been collecting Sh2.7 billion from winners every month until a magistrate's court stopped it last month
• UHC pilot is being implemented at a cost of Sh3.17 billion, on top of the four counties' allocation to health
Image: FILE
At least 40 per cent of taxes on betting and gaming will fund the universal health coverage, the ministry of Health says.
UHC is currently being piloted in four counties and will be rolled out nationally next year, depending on the outcome of the pilot.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said she expects Health to receive its biggest allocation ever in the next budget.
“We are glad 40 per cent of betting and gaming tax will be directed to UHC intervention. All these resources must be put to good use," the CS said in Nairobi yesterday. She opened the Maisha HIV and Aids conference organised by the National Aids Control Council.
The Finance Act imposes a 35 per cent tax on betting where 20 per cent is levied on winnings while betting firms remit 15 per cent.
Kenya Revenue Authority says it has been collecting Sh2.7 billion from winners every month until a magistrate’s court stopped it last month.
The country has witnessed a rapid growth of online gambling and last year, the government estimated the sector’s annual revenue at more than Sh36 billion.
The ongoing UHC pilot is being implemented at a cost of Sh3.17 billion, on top of the four counties’ allocation to health.
The national rollout will cost more than Sh50 billion annually but it will be insurance-based, according to the ministry.
Yesterday, the CS promised HIV financing will be a core part of UHC.
She noted that Aids-related deaths have dropped by 52 per cent against a target of 25 per cent by 2020.
Annual new infections have dropped by over 50 per cent from 101,000 in 2013 to 46,000 in 2018.
“My Ministry recognises that that for UHC to become a reality these gains must be safeguarded. We cannot do that without domestic resources and our commitment to UHC targets has had corresponding commitments in resources from our National Treasury,” she said.
NACC chairperson Angeline Siparo called for increased resources in health and HIV.
“There still exist opportunities for inclusion of HIV as a core component to universal health coverage,” she said.
The NACC conference is held once every two years and this year the theme is ‘Leveraging the HIV Response to Accelerate Impact for UHC.’
According to the World Health Organisation, universal healthcare means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship.
However, free coverage for all possible health interventions is not possible, as no country can provide all services free of charge on a sustainable basis, WHO says.