How to Add Dependents to Your NHIF

Hey people, hope you good. So two weeks ago, I decided, after years of procrastination, to add my family members to my NHIF. I just woke up and decided today is it. I’m gonna get this done, no matter what. Today today today.

The nearest NHIF office to me is the headquarters over there at Community. Now, I didn’t want to go in the morning hours because I figured there would be long queues because many people prefer getting things done in the morning hours. So I went at about 3.50pm and thankfully, there were only three people ahead of me 🙂

But first let me take you back a little bit. About two months ago, I’d emailed NHIF customer care asking about the documents I needed for me to add my dependents. I didn’t want to go to their offices, then queue for long, only to be told that I didn’t have this or that document meaning I’d have to go back another day. And I also didn’t want to send someone to run this errand for me because there are some tasks that I’d rather handle myself.

The Documents you Need to Add Dependents

So, I wanted to add my husband and two children as my dependents. The NHIF customer care had informed me that I needed the following documents:

• Copy of my marriage certificate or a sworn affidavit from the Magistrate
• Copies of birth certificates for each of my children. Or birth notification if the child is aged six months and below.
• One colored passport size photo for each of the dependents
• Copy of my ID
• They didn’t say I needed my husband’s ID copy, but I carried it just in case.

The Process

So when I got to NHIF –I went to the Car Park building and straight to their Customer Care section. When my turn arrived, the lady at the counter asked if I had the necessary documents. With a very broad smile on my face, I said yes.

Then she asked again – “uko na documents zote kabisa?”

I replied: “Niko na zote zote zote kabisa”, this time with an even wider grin. I felt like a conqueror I tell you. I almost started rubbing my hands together in glee. As in I can’t tell you the happiness I was feeling just knowing that I had all the said documents 🙂

The lady then instructed me to fill a certain form, then take it to counter number 15.

Haya, so I filled the form, attached my dependents photos with some glue that they provide, then proceeded to counter number 15. At that counter I found six people ahead of me. I passed the time staring at one or two people, observing others and just trying to understand human behaviour 🙂

When my turn arrived, the guy at the counter took time going through my forms, checking and counterchecking, punching things into the computer, then checking my documents again. Then he told me:

“Madam itabidi ulete affidavit”.

Haiya! Affidavit tena? I told him that the photocopy of my marriage certificate was right there in his hands, so affidavit how now?

Then he said “oooohhhhh sikua nimeiona madam, pole.”

We both laughed, as I told him no worries.

He then told me my NHIF status will be updated with my dependents. Then he looked like he’d finished with me.

So I asked him: “That’s it?”

He replied: “Yes, that’s it.”

Then I repeated: “As in, niende sasa?”

He said: “Eeee madam tumemalizana.”

Oh cool! I was done at like 4.21pm. I walked out of the NHIF offices happily.

A week later I wrote again to customer care asking them if my dependents had been added, and they responded in the affirmative. So yeah, in a nutshell, that’s it. It’s certainly not a difficult process, just make sure you have all those documents that are needed and you’re good.

Next, you can read about how to pay NHIF contributions though MPESA here: How to Pay NHIF via Mpesa.

You may also like to watch Evalyne Gatheca’s inspiring story below:

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