Contributors to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will continue making contributions of Kshs. 320 for up to three months after the fund suspended its quest to implement a new tariff.

Suspension of the tariff comes weeks after the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) chairman Francis Atwoli called for a nationwide strike of workers to protest alleged fraud in the management of the fund. The claim opened a can of worms at NHIF that saw a dramatic swoop in the funds' management.

NHIF announced in April that it would start implementing the new rates in May. The new tariff seeks to replace the standard Shs. 320 per person per month with contributions ranging from Shs 150 a month for people earning Shs 5,999 and below to Shs 2,000 a month for those earning Shs 100,000 and above per month.

The general public was infuriated by the revelation that there was reason to believe that their contribution to the health scheme was being swindled. The entire NHIF board and management was suspended, and in its place placed a caretaker board while investigations to the fraud are going on.