Wamuzi News Ke
In a fierce show of rejection, thousands of Kenyan teachers aligned with KNUT have firmly refused to be onboarded onto the government-run Social Health Authority (SHA) insurance scheme, preferring to retain their existing private medical cover as crunch talks with President Ruto loom at State House this Friday.
Led by KNUT Nakuru secretary Anthony Gioshe, teachers declared the SHA model untrustworthy and insufficient, citing grievances echoed by other civil servants—especially police—regarding accessibility and service lapses. “We have no problem with SHA,” Gioshe insisted, “but we will not go there.” Instead, he demanded an independent insurance plan tailored to the unique needs of the country’s largest public service workforce.
Under the current private cover—soon to expire—teachers enjoy comprehensive benefits including inpatient and outpatient care, maternity, optical and dental services, plus group life and funeral cover for the member, spouse, and up to four children. No physical card is needed; access is granted via payroll or biometric verification. The proposed SHA alternative falls short of this coverage suite.
Further inflaming tensions, teachers protested previous instances of double deductions—paying premiums both to SHA and their private insurer—despite assurances from Education PS Julius Bitok that this would be rectified. Still, the mistrust remains.
This defiance arrives just days before a pivotal consultative meeting at State House on Friday. President Ruto is set to convene more than 3,000 representatives from KNUT, KEPSHA, and KUPPET to address the deepening crisis in education, including this volatile insurance dispute.
