Emuhaya MP and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) National Chairman Omboko Milemba has lamented the recent move of the government failing to remind funds to the teachers’ medical scheme.
Speaking yesterday in Parliament when he requested a statement on the delayed teachers’ medical fund from the National Assembly Education Committee, which Tinderet MP Julius Melly chairs, Milemba observed that the delay is a direct violation of teachers’ right to healthcare under Article 43(1) of the Constitution, hence undermining their dignity and productivity.
“Teachers across the country are facing a healthcare crisis due to the government’s failure to remit funds to the Teachers’ Medical Scheme(Minet Kenya). This has left over 300,000 teachers and their dependents without medical services,” said Milemba.
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“Despite monthly salary deductions and a 2.7 per cent contribution to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), hospitals have withdrawn services since September 2024 due to non-payment by the government. Teachers faithfully contribute but lack access to healthcare. We cannot allow this to continue. I urge swift intervention to prevent further suffering,” he added.
Milemba now wants to know why funds for the Teachers Medical scheme deducted from teachers’ salaries have not been disbursed, the status of the Ksh11 billion owed to hospitals, the total funds remitted in FY 2024/2025, and the outstanding balance, and measures to ensure timely and regular disbursement of funds.
Recent incidents of teachers being turned away for the government’s failure to remind funds to hospitals have been on the rise, with a recent incident where the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) decried the suspension of Social Health Authority’s (SHA) services to teachers by Tenwek Hospital in Bomet.
By Roy Hezron
