The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced the introduction of a new medical cover for more than 400,000 teachers across the country, set to replace the existing Minet scheme.
The commission said teachers will be moved from the MINET medical cover to the Social Health Authority (SHA) by December 1, 2025.
Teachers will be enrolled in the Public Service Medical Fund, which is popular with civil servants.
Under the new scheme, teachers will have access to outpatient and inpatient services, specialised care such as dental and optical services, annual checkups, ambulance services for both road and air emergencies, overseas treatment, group life cover, and last expenses.
The scheme covers the principal member, their spouse, and up to six dependents.
This comes a few days after President William Ruto met with thousands of teachers at the Statehouse, Nairobi, on Saturday.
TSC to Move Teachers from MINET Medical Cover to Social Health Authority
During the meeting, it was concluded that the packages offered to teachers by Minet-Kenya were less favorable than those provided to other public sector employees.
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At the end of last year, the Minet-Kenya scheme was extended by one year. This followed teachers’ opposition to the government’s decision to discontinue the scheme and transition tutors to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
The grey areas in the law, specifically regarding how SHIF would provide benefits to teachers in public schools and how hospitals would differentiate between commercial and social health benefits, prompted resistance.
The teachers also raised the issue of the 2.75 per cent mandatory SHA deduction from one’s gross income or household income, which they contended clashed with the existing cover, resulting in double taxation on their payslips.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) officials also revealed after the meeting that they had struck a deal with President William Ruto concerning the teachers’ medical scheme.
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Teachers to Use New Premium SHA Medical Cover from December 1
According to the officials, the president not only agreed to review the scheme but also directed that it be enhanced to match the benefits provided to public service officers.
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu said that during the meeting with teachers, President Ruto announced that their medical scheme would be retained, but the packages would be reviewed.
“The president said that he had been convinced by the memorandum presented by Knut and Kuppet to retain the scheme,” said Oyuu.
“He stated that the scheme must be retained at all costs after engaging experts who advised him that the packages offered to teachers are inadequate and do not fully cover principal members and their dependants.”
The Minet cover allows teachers to enrol up to eight children, and it includes inpatient and outpatient services, overseas treatment, and dental and optical benefits for teachers in job groups B5 to D5.
Teachers in these groups also receive maternity, funeral expenses, and group life benefits.
According to Minet’s 2024 data, 1.3 million teachers on the TSC payroll, including at least 230,000 spouses and 677,000 children, are covered.
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