The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) management are seeking to resolve persistent challenges in the implementation of the comprehensive medical cover for more than 500,000 public school teachers. Breaking It Down The transition from the private AON-Minet scheme to the government-sponsored SHA cover on December 1, 2025, has been marred by complaints, including teachers and their dependents being turne
10/12/26 • 6
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) management are seeking to resolve persistent challenges in the implementation of the comprehensive medical cover for more than 500,000 public school teachers.
📋 Breaking It Down
The transition from the private AON-Minet scheme to the government-sponsored SHA cover on December 1, 2025, has been marred by complaints, including teachers and their dependents being turned away from private hospitals or being forced to pay out of pocket for services they expected the scheme to cover.
President William Ruto’s administration has employed more than 100,000 teachers in the past three years, with another 20,000 expected to be recruited by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) by the end of this year.
Principal Secretary for Medical Services Ouma Oluga and SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi represented the government during a meeting with members of Knut’s National Executive Council (NEC), drawn from the union’s eight regions and 47 counties, as well as TSC officials. The meeting ended at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies at the weekend.
📌 What You Need to Know
“We want to assure teachers that SHA operates as envisaged and that teachers and other Kenyans can access the desired services in public and private hospitals,” Dr Oluga said.
He said the government was committed to operationalising universal healthcare to ensure a healthy and productive population that could drive economic growth.
The authority urged trade unions and members of the public to report hospitals that deny patients services, saying the authority would investigate complaints and take appropriate action against facilities found culpable.
Dr Mwangangi said SHA offices in the counties were being staffed to help address complaints from beneficiaries and healthcare facilities.
“We are working round the clock to address emerging issues relating to meeting the needs of private citizens, public servants and workers in the corporate sector,” she said.
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu and national chairman Patrick Karinga said SHA needed to improve service delivery and expand the number of facilities offering services to teachers.
📰 Source: Nation Africa
