The National Council has adopted a report from its Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare, and Labour Affairs regarding a visit last year to the Kenyan Parliament's Senate.
The committee visited the Kenyan Senate and the Nairobi County Assembly to learn about their operations and best practices.
A focal point of the visit was universal health coverage, with Kenya being recognised for successfully implementing the World Health Organisation's UHC agenda.
Other topics discussed include child labour, social grants, and unemployment, as well as efforts to address shared challenges and introduce potential solutions.
Landless People's Movement (LPM) MP Harald Kambrude commended the committee for the technical depth contained in their report, addressing methodologies, histories, and backgrounds related to Kenya's National Social Health Insurance Fund.
"In the report, the committee adhered to its terms of reference, focusing on understanding Kenya's universal health coverage, operational modalities, implementation challenges, and successful strategies. They also visited maternity homes and observed a session of the county assembly during their visit. The report is of a very technical nature, but what I find interesting is that there is an organisation called Linda Mama in Kenya, which has different packages or benefits for mothers-to-be. These packages include comprehensive antenatal care covering aspects such as HIV testing, tetanus, malaria, deworming, and iron supplements."
Kambrude, however, expressed concern about the "lessons learned" part of the report, noting that while it extensively details Kenyan practices, the document lacks actionable insights on how Namibia could implement these findings.
"I couldn't really understand what they were planning to do based on what they found. They have around 10 to 15 specific points that they highlight or stress, but everything in there only refers to what they discovered the Kenyans were doing. I couldn't grasp the lesson; perhaps it was my interpretation or comprehension. They also refer to the background of the operations of maternal homes in Namibia, but I don't see how they plan to improve upon what they found to be the background of these maternal homes."
Kambrude suggested that the committee engage actively with the Ministry of Health and Social Services to properly direct these initiatives, rather than merely recommend them for implementation.
The chairperson of the committee, Hans Nambondi, reassured those who critiqued the report as being too technical that, while it may seem so initially, it would become more understandable once the ministry began implementing the committee's recommendations.