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KUPPET to govt: Clarify SHA benefits for teachers or count us out
20th September, 2025 03:08 PM
Caption:KUPPET Seeks Clarity on Teachers’ Health Benefits Under SHA. VIDEO/K24TV The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has petitioned the government to clearly outline the medical benefits that teachers will receive under the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking during a meeting at Moi Gardens in Kericho, KUPPET Executive Secretary, Kericho Branch, Mary Rotich, challenged the government to specify whether teachers will have access to services such as dental care, optometry, overseas medical evacuation, and admission to private hospital wings.
The teachers are also calling for the Ministry of Education to grant full autonomy to Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), they described their working conditions as deplorable, blaming the lack of independence for persistent administrative conflicts and declining learning standards.
“As we are being taken to SHA, our big question is, what is the package for dental? What is the package for optometry? What about overseas evacuation? What is the fate of teachers? Are we going to be admitted to private wings? If it is a good package for teachers, we are on board, but if it is not, then we are out,” she said.
The union also pressed for private hospitals to be included under SHA, arguing that restricting services to public facilities would disadvantage teachers.
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Beyond health concerns, KUPPET raised fresh demands over the Junior Secondary School (JSS) program. The union insisted that the JSS curriculum be made autonomous, citing poor infrastructure and challenges associated with domiciling JSS in primary schools.
KUPPET further called on the government to confirm the 20,000 JSS teachers currently working on contract terms, and to absorb intern teachers into permanent and pensionable positions.
