Teachers aligned to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) have rejected the move by the government to onboard teachers to the Social Health Authority (SHA) medical insurance scheme.
Led by KNUT Nakuru boss Anthony Gioshe, the teachers vowed to reject any move by the Ministry of Health to onboard them to the government scheme as the existing scheme with a private insurance provider nears expiry.
Gioshe cited the lamentations by other civil servants, such as the police, regarding SHA’s misgivings while seeking medical treatment.
While urging teachers to reject any move to be onboarded in SHA, Gioshe disclosed that teachers did not have faith in the new medical insurance scheme.
“We have heard a story from the government that they want to move us into SHA. We have no problem with the Social Health Authority, but we are saying this, we will not go there,” Gioshe noted.
Further, Gioshe called for an independent cover for teachers, referencing the vast teacher workforce employed by the State.
A recent report released by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission on Monday, September 8, confirms this, as the Teachers Service Commission was ranked as the largest public service employer.
“What we are saying is this, even if the cover with the private insurance company will not be renewed, we want to have our own independent cover,” he averred.
Amidst the push-and-pull over the proposed move to SHA, teachers argued that the existing cover was extensive, covering the teacher, their spouse, and up to four children.
It offers inpatient, outpatient, maternity, optical, and dental benefits. It also includes group life and last-expense funeral coverage.
They argued members could access services without a physical medical card, using their payroll number or biometric verification at accredited hospitals in the scheme.
In the past, teachers lamented about the double deduction of SHA and the existing cover, a move that attracted the attention of the government. Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok assured the teachers that the government would review the double deductions, a move that could spell changes in their payslips.
Even so, the rejection comes ahead of looming talks between President William Ruto and over 3,000 teachers’ representatives at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, September 12.
The agenda of the meeting is set to address challenges in education. Those invited were from KNUT, the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA), and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).
