Teachers threaten to exit SHA scheme over failing healthcare
Teachers threaten to exit SHA scheme over failing healthcare
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has threatened to withdraw teachers from the Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme, citing widespread failures in service delivery, even as President William Ruto continues to defend the scheme.
Speaking in Kisumu on the evening of Friday, March 27, KUPPET Secretary-General Akello Misori warned that the union is rapidly losing confidence in the scheme and may soon exit if urgent reforms are not implemented.
Misori accused SHA leadership of failing to inspire confidence among teachers, noting that the system has not lived up to expectations despite earlier assurances from government officials.
“We do not think the leadership of SHA is portraying good leadership. They are trying to undermine the confidence that we have already bestowed on them. We are going to be fed up soon, and once that is done, we are going to walk out of SHA,” he said.
He added that commitments made during a meeting with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had not been fulfilled, including the establishment of functional feedback channels and deployment of field representatives to assist teachers.
This comes even as President Ruto maintains that the SHA scheme is functioning effectively and has significantly improved the delivery of health services.
“Today, we have over 30 million Kenyans registered under SHA. The situation is very different from before. There are fewer out-of-pocket Harambees for healthcare. We now hear countless testimonies of people whose medical bills were fully covered, Ksh20,000, Ksh100,000, Ksh500,000, Ksh1 million, and more,” Ruto said during the 19th Ambassadors and High Commissioners Conference in Nairobi on Saturday.
According to the union, many hospitals across the country are still reluctant to admit teachers for outpatient services under the scheme, further worsening access to healthcare.
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Meanwhile, the teacher’s latest warning comes weeks after KUPPET issued a seven-day strike notice on March 5 over delays in medical cover and unpaid claims under SHA, raising fears of a nationwide teachers’ strike.
Union officials say the system has been plagued by frequent breakdowns, long delays in processing claims, and a shrinking number of hospitals willing to accept patients under the scheme, forcing many teachers to pay for treatment out of pocket.
The crisis has been compounded by private hospitals under the Rural Private Hospitals Association (RUPHA) declining to offer services due to unpaid government claims reportedly exceeding Ksh30 billion.
Teachers who were previously enrolled under the initial private medical scheme have also raised concerns that the transition to SHA undermines benefits guaranteed under their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), leaving them exposed to reduced coverage.
KUPPET Chairman Omboko Milemba noted that the current system has forced teachers into unfamiliar processes, including seeking paybill numbers for contributions, unlike the previous arrangement, which was more seamless.
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