Teachers to shift to SHA medical scheme from December 1, says TSC

Acting TSC CEO Eveleen Mitei before the National Assembly’s Committee on Education at Bunge Towers, Nairobi, on September 18, 2025. (Photo: National Assembly)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Friday, September 19, 2025

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, acting TSC CEO Eveleen Mitei said the transition has been in planning since May 2025.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced that it will move all teachers to the Public Officers’ Medical Scheme Fund managed by the Social Health Authority (SHA) starting December 1, 2025.

The decision comes after the current medical insurance contract with a consortium led by Minet Kenya expires on November 30, 2025, and will not be renewed.

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Appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, acting TSC CEO Eveleen Mitei said the transition has been in planning since May 2025.

“It is proposed that all teachers will be onboarded to the Public Officers’ Medical Scheme Fund under the Social Health Authority (SHA) from December 1, 2025,” she told legislators. The existing cover currently serves 415,000 teachers along with their dependents.

Mitei, joined by TSC’s legal director Calvin Ayuor, explained that a technical team has been working with multiple government agencies, including the National Treasury, the Attorney-General’s office, the National Police Service (NPS), and SHA. The group is tasked with resolving legal, technical, and financial issues to ensure a smooth handover.

During the session, MPs raised concerns over the short timeline, possible loss of benefits, and the logistical challenge of enrolling a large number of teachers.

Ayuor reassured the committee, saying: “This scheme that we are coming up with is more or less taking the structure of the scheme we are exiting. SHA has empanelled hospitals, and the teachers will be free to go to hospitals of their choice.”

Mitei further stated that the commission is working to complete the framework by the end of September 2025, adding that the shift will retain all existing benefits.

“We are carrying our scheme as it is with concurrence from SHA, so what we are waiting for is the allocation of funds from the Treasury. We have already submitted the cost of our scheme,” she said.

The announcement follows a recent meeting at State House, Nairobi, with teachers’ unions and associations, where it was revealed that the new scheme would offer more comprehensive medical coverage than the one provided by Minet Kenya.

Teachers have for years expressed dissatisfaction with delays in approvals for treatment, limited hospital choices, and understaffed facilities under the current plan.

Under the Minet Kenya arrangement, benefits vary by job grade. Chief principals enjoyed inpatient cover of up to Sh3 million, outpatient benefits of Sh450,000, maternity cover of Sh300,000, and funeral support of the same amount.

Senior secondary teachers accessed inpatient cover of Sh1.3 million and outpatient benefits of Sh200,000, while entry-level primary school teachers had inpatient cover of Sh1 million and outpatient cover of Sh150,000.

TSC confirmed that engagement with stakeholders will continue, with meetings scheduled with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).

President William Ruto has also directed the formation of a technical committee involving TSC, the Ministry of Education, teachers’ unions, and head teachers’ associations to review and finalise the scheme.