The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) have reassured teachers that the migration from Minet Kenya to the government-managed Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund, will ensure that they receive better health packages.
Speaking during the KEPSHA/KCB National AGM and Conference
in Mombasa on Wednesday, TSC Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei said the commission
had been engaging all key stakeholders, including unions and teacher
associations, to ensure the process protects teachers’ benefits.
“Teachers, let’s not perish for lack of knowledge,” Mitei told delegates.
“We have all the information on the comprehensive medical scheme that we have prepared for teachers. This journey started way back in 2015," she said.
"We have walked
through the Minet journey, and now we want to shift gears and see what the
Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund has to offer our teachers.”
She said the commission had “combed every rule book” and reviewed every
regulation governing medical schemes to guarantee compliance and quality
service.
“We have engaged with all our key stakeholders and received policy direction
from our Board on what to include in the medical scheme to ensure that teachers
get a comprehensive cover,” she said. “We’ve worked this journey with SHA.”
Mitei added that the TSC’s goal is to ensure a smooth transition from the current Minet-managed medical scheme to the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund, which will operate under the broader framework of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
She assured teachers that the TSC would continue to prioritise their welfare
as the medical cover transitions into the government-managed system.
“We have walked this journey carefully with all stakeholders to ensure our
teachers get a cover that is comprehensive, transparent and responsive to their
needs,” she said.
She urged teachers to familiarise themselves with the ongoing reforms and to
take advantage of the available information on the new framework.
“We want every teacher to have confidence in this system. It’s been a long journey and it is for your health and well-being,” Mitei said.
The new scheme is set to take effect on December 1, 2025, following a meeting between union leaders, SHA and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) officials in Nairobi, where they apprised themselves of the migration details.
The union leaders were drawn from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET).
In her remarks, SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi
said the government’s health sector reforms are already improving outcomes,
with Kenya’s life expectancy rising from 63 years in 2023 to 67 years
in 2025.
She attributed this to increased investment in primary healthcare
and preventive programmes that make care more accessible and affordable.
“For the first time, we have a government investing in primary healthcare
services, ensuring that every Kenyan has access to a preventive and promotive
package,” Mwangangi said.
Over the past 13 months, she said, six million Kenyans had received free services in health centres across the country under the Primary Health Care Fund (PHCF).
Parliament has since appropriated Sh13
billion for primary healthcare, up from Sh1.8 billion,
representing an eightfold increase.
As of November 2025, 27.4 million Kenyans had registered with SHA.
“My dear teachers, you are such an important constituent, meeting with parents, students and the community. I want you to support us and be champions of ensuring Kenyans register so that they can access primary health care services,” she urged.
Dr Mwangangi outlined the three funds managed by SHA including the Primary
Health Care Fund (PHC) - finances preventive and promotive care at
public health facilities, Social
Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) – a contributory scheme funded through a 2.75
percent deduction from employees’ payslips, offering comprehensive
inpatient and outpatient care.
The third is the Emergency,
Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCI), which supports emergency and
high-cost treatments, including accidents and life-threatening conditions.
“We have Sh8 billion for emergency care,” Dr Mwangangi said. “Any Kenyan who
needs emergency services for the first 24 hours does not need to be registered
with SHA. You just have to be in the country and you’ll receive care.”
She said that from January, 2025, President William Ruto will
launch a national emergency evacuation service that allows
Kenyans to dial a short code for an ambulance to the nearest
SHA-designated facility.
“After the first 24 hours of emergency care, your comprehensive cover under SHA will take effect,” she explained.
The SHA CEO said service efficiency had improved, with pre-authorization
times averaging 4.5 minutes across a network of 10,451
accredited providers, including public, private and faith-based
hospitals at levels 4, 5 and 6.
She added that SHA is working with schools and communities to address
vulnerable groups, including teenage mothers.
“We have a budget to cover 100,000 teenage mothers across the country,” she said. “We will partner with teachers to help mobilise them to access care.”
