NAIROBI, Kenya — The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will transfer more than 415,000 teachers and their dependents to the Public Officers’ Medical Scheme Fund under the Social Health Authority (SHA) beginning December 1, 2025.
The move follows the expiry of the current medical insurance contract with a consortium led by Minet Kenya, which ends on November 30 and will not be renewed.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, acting TSC chief executive Eveleen Mitei said the transition has been in the works since May and is intended to preserve teachers’ medical benefits while shifting them into the state-run pool.
“It is proposed that all teachers will be onboarded to the Public Officers’ Medical Scheme Fund under SHA from December 1,” Mitei told lawmakers on Thursday.
Mitei, accompanied by TSC legal director Calvin Ayuor, explained that a multi-agency team involving the Treasury, the Attorney-General’s office, the National Police Service, and SHA is ironing out legal and financial details ahead of the switch.
She said the framework for the new arrangement will be completed by September, with Treasury expected to approve the cost of the scheme.
Concerns in Parliament
MPs expressed unease over the short transition window, possible delays in enrollment, and whether teachers would lose benefits.
Ayuor sought to reassure them, saying the SHA-managed plan would mirror the current structure and allow teachers to access any empanelled hospital.
“This scheme that we are coming up with is more or less taking the structure of the scheme we are exiting,” he said. “SHA has empanelled hospitals, and the teachers will be free to go to hospitals of their choice.”
Teachers’ Dissatisfaction with Minet
The announcement comes amid long-standing complaints by teachers about the Minet-managed scheme, including limited hospital networks, delays in treatment approvals, and understaffed facilities.
Under the existing cover, benefits vary by job group. Chief principals are entitled to inpatient cover of up to Sh3 million, outpatient benefits of Sh450,000, and maternity cover of Sh300,000, while entry-level primary teachers access Sh1 million inpatient and Sh150,000 outpatient cover.
Stakeholder Engagement
Mitei confirmed that TSC will continue engaging unions and associations to smooth the transition.
Meetings with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) are already scheduled.
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.
The government says the new SHA-administered fund will provide broader medical coverage compared to the outgoing private arrangement.
