By SHABAN MAKOKHA
April 26, 2026| National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has called on the Ministry of Health to urgently resolve the growing challenges facing teachers under the new Social Health Authority (SHA) medical scheme.
Wetang’ula described the issues raised against the government-sponsored scheme as “serious, widespread, and unacceptable.”
The Speaker said he had personally taken up the matter following weeks of complaints from educators across the country.
“The challenges presented are serious,” Wetang’ula lamented. “I will meet Health Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale next week to discuss practical solutions.”
Speaking in his Bungoma backyard, Wetang’ula noted that the problems were not isolated to the region.
“Teachers from Kuria, Narok, Ndhiwa, and various other areas have filed similar complaints, signalling systemic lapses within the new SHA rollout,” he said.
Teachers say the transition from the old medical cover to SHA has made quality healthcare harder to access, despite government promises of improved services.
“These challenges are limiting teachers from fully benefiting from the new scheme,” Wetang’ula said. “The Ministry must ensure SHA works for every beneficiary.”
He urged teachers to be patient, warning that frustration over the issue could spark a nationwide strike—one he hopes to avert through dialogue.
Bungoma Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Executive Secretary Augustine Luketero said: “Out-of-pocket costs are rising abnormally.”
Teachers listed a series of frustrations, ranging from high personal medical expenses to reduced benefits compared to previous medical schemes.
“Despite the government’s promise to scrap co-payments and improve outpatient cover, teachers are still facing the same hurdles when seeking healthcare,” Luketero said.
Teachers reported frequently being turned away at hospitals, paying cash for services supposedly covered, and receiving drastically reduced inpatient and outpatient limits.
The concerns extended beyond healthcare, with growing fears over Grade 10 challenges.
School heads, led by Bungoma Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Robert Nabiswa, warned of mounting academic difficulties as schools admit Grade 10 learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) transition.
“Some of these learners cannot even write their names,” Nabiswa revealed, raising alarm across the packed gathering.
He warned that failure to deploy additional teachers to Junior Secondary and Senior Schools would have dire long-term consequences.
“If the Ministry does not act urgently, we risk losing a generation,” he said.
Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers also renewed demands for greater institutional autonomy, arguing that it would streamline the implementation of the competency-based curriculum.
According to the teachers, schools remain understaffed and ill-equipped, with heavy workloads placed on a limited number of JSS educators.
Area MPs, including John Chikati (Tongaren), Martin Pepela (Webuye West), and Bungoma Woman Representative Catherine Wambilyanga, threw their weight behind the teachers, insisting that the government must act swiftly.
Wambilyanga issued one of the event’s strongest statements: “I support the teachers’ strike if the SHA challenges are not resolved.”
Chikati added that Parliament would escalate the matter through its committees if the Ministry of Health failed to address the concerns promptly.
The leaders also used the gathering to rally support for President William Ruto’s second-term bid, saying his administration has made strides in education reforms but must correct emerging gaps.
They urged teachers to separate service delivery concerns from political alignment, even as they promised to champion their grievances at the national level.
Wetang’ula’s intervention now places pressure on the Health Ministry to act swiftly and restore confidence in the new medical scheme.
With teachers threatening industrial action and hospitals continuing to raise concerns over reimbursement delays, the coming weeks will determine whether the SHA rollout stabilises—or sparks a nationwide crisis in the education sector.