Teachers in Kwale have escalated their protest against the Social Health Authority (SHA) medical scheme, demanding urgent improvements to safeguard their welfare. The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) claims the government forcefully enrolled educators into SHA without consultation, ignoring their concerns.
Kwale KUPPET Executive Secretary Leonard Oronje criticised the shift from MINET to SHA, calling it hurried and primarily serving government interests. “The idea of moving to SHA is not for teachers or their unions. It is purely a government decision,” he said. Oronje argued that while MINET had flaws, it guaranteed teachers dignity and meaningful coverage, which SHA lacks.
Currently, the SHA scheme offers only a last expense benefit of Ksh300,000, leaving families without financial support in the event of a teacher’s death. KUPPET is now pushing for a comprehensive group life cover of no less than Ksh2 million. Teachers are also demanding an ex gratia payment of Ksh200,000 to cushion them when medical benefits are exhausted.
Concerns extend to maternity and outpatient coverage. Oronje called for the maternity package to be increased to Ksh500,000 and to fully include premature infants, criticizing SHA’s definition of premature babies as 37 weeks onward. “SHA must cater for all premature babies. Every child should receive the required services,” he said.
Tertiary Secretary Lucy Adenya emphasised the need for a wider hospital network and faster disbursement of medical funds, noting that delays under SHA could put lives at risk. She also demanded the outpatient cover be raised from Ksh150,000 to Ksh300,000.
Teachers like Bakari Mwanduni highlighted the inequity in maternity benefits, where younger, lower-grade teachers receive Ksh120,000, while older, higher-grade teachers get Ksh300,000.
KUPPET warns that if the government fails to address these issues within three months, teachers will consider exiting the SHA scheme entirely. The union insists that any new scheme must rectify past flaws under MINET, not replicate them.
