In Summary
Kenya’s top teachers’ unions, KNUT and KUPPET, are demanding full transparency from TSC over the new Social Health Authority (SHA) medical cover expected to replace Minet from December 1, 2025.
Tension is mounting between Kenya’s major teachers’ unions and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) ahead of the planned switch from Minet insurance to the new Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme on December 1, 2025.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have jointly warned that they will not allow the transition to proceed without full transparency on benefits, hospital access, and coverage guarantees for the nearly 400,000 teachers and their dependents across the country.
KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu and his KUPPET counterpart Akelo Misori have criticized TSC for what they describe as “unilateral planning” and “lack of consultation” on the new scheme. The unions insist that the government must share all details of the SHA plan, including hospital networks, capitation levels, authorization procedures, and terms of service.
“Teachers deserve complete transparency before December 1. We must be shown the full benefits, hospital networks, and guarantees that no teacher will be stranded in a health facility,” said Mr. Oyuu.
According to Oyuu, teachers have endured endless frustrations under the current Minet scheme from delayed approvals to lack of coordination between hospitals and service providers. He argued that the new SHA system must prove that it can offer “timely and dignified healthcare” before any rollout.
KUPPET’s Akelo Misori echoed the same concerns, saying any rushed implementation could endanger the livelihoods of over 400,000 teachers. “We will not allow TSC to gamble with teachers’ welfare. Without proper structures and clear benefits, the new plan will be rejected,” he said.
Unions are demanding that the new medical plan include group life cover, a benefit they say Minet failed to provide. Oyuu emphasized that teachers’ families should not be left without a safety net in case of death or disability.
The Social Health Authority has claimed it will expand access to over 9,000 health facilities nationwide compared to just 800 under Minet but unions remain skeptical, warning that many of those facilities could be low-level dispensaries, not specialized hospitals.
As the December deadline looms, all eyes are now on TSC’s next move. Without consensus, Kenya could witness yet another showdown between teachers’ unions and the government this time over healthcare rights rather than salaries.
