From left: Teachers Service Commission CEO Eveleen Mitei, Social Health Authority CEO Dr Mercy Mwangangi, Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori and Knut secretary general Collins Oyuu speak to media at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi on November 10, 2025.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has assured teachers that the transition of their health insurance from the current provider, Minet, to the Social Health Authority (SHA) is proceeding smoothly, with measures in place to prevent any disruption of medical services.
The acting TSC Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei confirmed that data for all teachers has been successfully uploaded onto the SHA system, ensuring immediate access to care.
“The transition is on course. All our data is on the SHA system and teachers can access Medicare whenever required,” Ms Mitei told the Daily Nation.
To safeguard continuity of care for the most vulnerable, TSC has mapped 320 inpatient patients across 100 hospitals nationwide, guaranteeing that their treatment continues uninterrupted during the changeover.
“The 320 inpatient patients have been mapped across 100 hospitals countrywide. Nothing changes and treatment will continue. Sensitisation is ongoing by our field officers and SHA staff,” she emphasized.
TSC and SHA have also launched a sensitisation campaign to ensure teachers understand how to access services under the new scheme.
Last week, the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei met TSC and SHA officials to prepare for the shift, which has a mandatory deadline of today.
The Teachers Service Commission Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei.
“Preparations are on track. Measures to strengthen coordination are in place to ensure smooth implementation of the planned transfer on 1 December 2025,” Mr Koskei said on his Facebook page following the high-level meeting.
The Comprehensive Medical Cover under SHA includes benefits such as in-patient and outpatient services, maternity care, chronic illness management, dental services, optical services, road and air evacuation, last expenses and overseas treatment.
The scheme covers teachers who are principal members, one declared spouse, and up to five children from birth to age 21—or up to 25 if they are full-time students. Children living with disabilities registered with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities are also covered.
Superior health cover
Last Friday, President William Ruto promised over 400,000 teachers a superior health cover.
“I know you have had a health cover that has not worked well for you, and I promise you that we will change it. It was lesser than what public servants have, and it is not right. We are correcting that and will make sure everything goes well,” said the President.
The new Mwalimu Cover, administered under the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF) by SHA, takes effect after the full handover of operations and systems from Minet.
The transition will proceed as planned despite a case filed in court by two teachers, with no injunction issued to halt the rollout. The matter is scheduled for hearing on December 10, 2025, several days after the shift.
Kenya National Union of Teachers officials, led by deputy secretary general Hesbon Otieno (centre), address the media in Litein, Kericho County on June 7, 2025.
Teacher unions highlighted that the 30-day termination clause in the scheme provides a safeguard: it allows monitoring of service delivery, hospital access, claims processing, and overall reliability, and permits exit if standards are not met.
“Teachers are aware they will move to a new scheme starting Monday. We suggested exit clauses to allow either party to act quickly if needed. Teachers should not worry about something they have not yet experienced,” said Knut Deputy Secretary-General Hesbon Otieno.
Since last week, teachers have been receiving messages from SHA confirming their enrollment into the new Comprehensive Mwalimu Medical Cover, which expands access to healthcare facilities from 800 to 9,600 nationwide, including public, private, and faith-based providers.
SHA has issued a strict directive to all healthcare providers, confirming a hard cut-off for the new cover.
Effective 00:00 hours on Monday, December 1, 2025, the SHA Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF) will assume full financial responsibility for the medical care of over 400,000 TSC teachers and their dependents.
The directive, contained in a notice issued by SHA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mercy Mwangangi, confirms that the liability of the outgoing administrator, Medical Administrators Kenya Limited (MAKL) (Minet), ceases at 23:59 hours on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
“SHA assumes full financial responsibility from that moment ” said Dr Mwangangi.
To ensure zero disruption of care, the SHA has imposed a stringent administrative requirement for hospitals currently treating TSC teachers.
“For any TSC teacher admitted under the MAKL scheme before the transition, the healthcare facility must formally discharge them from the old system by 23:59 on November 30, 2025.They must be immediately readmitted under the new SHA POMSF (TSC) scheme after 00:00 on December 1, 2025,” said Dr Mwangangi in an advisory letter.
The SHA boss stressed that accurate documentation with clear timestamps for both the discharge and readmission is mandatory to prevent future billing disputes. SHA's financial liability will strictly commence from December 1st.
Social Health Authority CEO Dr Mercy Mwangangi speaks at the Kenya Primary School Heads Association Annual Delegates Conference in Mombasa on November 12, 2025.
Dr Mwanangi said if the standard biometric verification fails for a teacher seeking care, the provider must initiate an immediate whitelisting request via SHA support channels, providing the patient’s name, ID number, and facility code to expedite resolution.
All healthcare providers are required to promptly sign the POMSF Addendum and adhere to the standard SHA pre-authorization process for specific procedures to avoid claims interruption.
Dr Mwangangi confirmed that a 24/7 dedicated command centre is now operational to provide comprehensive assistance throughout the transition, contactable via the toll-free line 0800 720 601 or by email at [email protected].
The successful transition, which follows an agreement between the TSC and teachers' unions (Knut and Kuppet) after weeks of intensive negotiations, will see teachers move to a comprehensive government-backed cover that promises expanded provider networks and enhanced benefits, resolving long-standing challenges associated with the Minet scheme.
