We are in the dark about SHA cover, comprehensive school headteachers say

Kenya Comprehensive School Headteachers Association officials at Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa on Sunday / BRIAN OTIENO

Comprehensive school headteachers on Monday expressed worry about their medical cover, with the Sh20 billion Minet cover coming to an end on November 30.

The headteachers, who are meeting in Mombasa for their 2025 Kenya Comprehensive School Headteachers Association/KCB national annual general meeting and conference, said Sha has its teething problems.

The government has announced that all teachers, who number more than 400,000, will be moved to the Social Health Authority medical scheme on December 1.

Sarah Mhonja, from Vihiga County, said they have not been informed much about the SHA cover and how it will work.

“If teachers are complaining about the current system, what will happen to us if Sha takes over?” Mhonja said.

She said nobody has so far talked to them about compensation issues and comprehensive cover for them and their families should any of them fall sick of undergo health challenges.

She noted that the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers were also in the dark about Sha as of Monday morning.

“We are still in darkness. That one needs to be put into consideration first and all stakeholders agree before it is implemented,” she said.

She said the only information about the SHA cover they have is that it will be effected starting December 1.

However, hours later, in Nairobi, the Teachers Service Commission acting CEO Evaleen Mitei announced that all teachers will be moved to Sha on December 1 and they have nothing to worry about.

The teachers’ Sh20 billion medical cover by private firm Minet expires this November, and the government has announced that the teachers will be moved to Sha.

“We are working towards a seamless transition of our teachers to the new medical scheme,” Mitei said after a meeting with teacher unions Knut and Kuppet on Monday.

Under SHA, teachers will be entitled to inpatient and outpatient treatment, dental, optical, overseas treatment and evacuation, radiology, maternity, drug and substance, chronic illness, annual medical checkups, and tests for organ donors.

Teachers will also be enrolled under the public officers medical scheme fund that will kick in if and when teachers exhaust their cover with Sha.

Kuppet secretary general Akello Misori said the teachers' cover will include their spouses and up to five children.

Knut’s Collins Oyuu said the SHA scheme has additional benefits compared to the Minet cover and acknowledged the government’s assurance of timely delivery of quality healthcare as opposed to long waits in the past.

“The turnaround time will be four minutes,” Oyuu said.

Sha CEO Mercy Mwangangi said the number of health facilities under the Sha cover has been increased from 800 to 9,600, meaning teachers will have access to more health facilities than before.

“We are looking at expanding this list to include Level 6, 5, 4, 3A, 3B and 2 hospitals,” Mwangangi said.

The scheme will have a clear cancellation clause that calls for a notice to be issued within 30 days, after which cancellation can come in three months.

Instant Analysis:

The TSC has announced that teachers across Kenya will move from the Minet medical cover to a new scheme under the Social Health Authority effective December 1.