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The Acting CEO of the Teachers Service Commission, Eveleen Mitei, appeared before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education and Julius Kipbiwott Melly at the Bunge Tower in Nairobi on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to consider the 2026 Budget Policy Statements.
A budget deficit of Sh10 billion for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is threatening to put in jeopardy the deal between the teachers’ employer and the Social Health Authority (SHA) to provide over 400,000 teachers and their dependants with a medical insurance cover.
The commissions’ Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei told the National Assembly committee on Education yesterday that it has been allocated Sh16.5 billion in the 2026/27 Budget Policy Statement for the provision of the medical insurance cover for teachers against a requirement of Sh26.5 billion.
“The amount of money allocated is Sh16.5 billion while the actuarial cost we have been given by SHA is 26.5 billion, that is Sh10 billion less,” Ms Mitei told the lawmakers.
Ms Mitei said going forward, the commission will ask for Sh26.5 billion from the National Treasury as the allocation to cater for teachers' medical cover.
The commission through Finance Director Frankline Choge however warned that the figure might even go higher than the Sh26.5 billion.
The commission told the MPs that it has scheduled a meeting with SHA on Monday next where the grey areas on the exact costing are expected to be ironed out.
“We have a discussion with SHA on Monday on how it has structured the deal so the figure can go higher,” Mr Choge told MPs.
The revelations however drew sharp reactions from the lawmakers who accused the commission of gambling with the health of teachers.
“We are gambling with the health of our teachers, we moved them into SHA without budget,” said Mandera South MP Abdul Haro
“What is the implication of the statement that TSC has said? Are we saying teachers will not be covered? Asked Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
The committee chairman Julius Melly however said there is no cause for alarm as the committee will still make adjustments on the budget for the commission before the final budget.
Mr Melly directed the commission to come up with a wish list of all the areas that have not received adequate allocation for consideration by the committee.
Also Read: Questions over teachers' SHA cover
“There is no cause for alarm as we have been dealing with such budgetary constraints even when teachers were under Minet and we always resolved them,” Mr Melly said.
The budget gap if not resolved put at the risk access to medical care by teachers who were moved to SHA from Minet as from December 1, 2025
The teachers’ medical scheme has been a source of contention between lawmakers and the TSC with lawamkers always accusing the teachers’ employer of giving the tutors a raw deal.
For instance, in 2023, the National Assembly education committee threatened to end the Sh53 billion contract between TSC and Minet over poor provision of services to teachers.
During a meeting with Minet, the committee heard how Minet is not providing some services to teachers that are stipulated in the contract.
For instance, it emerged that while the contract states that teachers are not supposed to pay when visiting specialists, teachers who have petitioned the committee indicate that they are forced to pay Sh500 from their pockets before being allowed to access the services.
Minet was also on the spot over the long time it takes to respond to teachers’ queries, admission to hospitals, discharge and referral to better health facilities.
Teachers Service Commission Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei.
Last year, following consultation between the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet), teachers were moved into SHA.
The deal was inked after SHA In September last year presented their proposal to the union leaders promising access to more than 9,000 accredited health facilities an increase from the 800 under Minet
In the new package, the cover will cater for a principal member, a declared spouse and up to five children.
Children of 25 years, fully dependent on the principal member and enrolled in full-time study, are also eligible to benefit.
Services under cover will include inpatient and outpatient, dental, optical, overseas treatment, radiology, annual medical check-up and maternity.
It will also cover drug rehabilitation, chronic illness, renal dialysis, evacuation services and tests for organ donors.
Some of the key financial coverage include a cap of Sh500, 000 for overseas treatment, up to Ksh.1.1 million for overseas surgery, up to Ksh.400, 000 for Oncology, and upto Sh200, 000 for post-renal replacement therapy.
For maternity services, a limit of Sh10, 000 is provided for normal delivery, and Sh30, 000 for C-section.
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