Kuppet rejects insurance plan

Some 62,000 teachers have withdrawn their support for the proposed medical insurance scheme set to be implemented from July 1.

The decision by the staff of secondary schools and public colleges is a major blow to the scheme that initially targeted 400,000 teachers and civil servants.

All the 60,000 teachers who have become the latest to shun the scheme are members of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).

The decision comes only a week after the government excluded 200,000 teachers, who are members of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), from the scheme after their leaders rejected it.

On Tuesday, Kuppet secretary general Njeru Kanyamba said the union had suspended discussions aimed at convincing members to buy into the scheme.

“We are not accepting it unless the government convinces us it is a good scheme,” he said.

Mr Kanyamba said the decision was made after the government failed to explain to the teachers the benefits of the proposed scheme.

He said the teachers were not sure what kind of ailments were covered under the scheme or those that would be considered critical diseases.

“In this position, we view the scheme with suspicion. We are not sure of its success when similar projects have failed,” he said.

The union official said the scheme would fail unless an aggressive campaign was mounted to educate government staff on its benefits.

“We are not ready for it; at least not for now.”

Last week, the government bowed to pressure and excluded Knut members from the proposed medical insurance. But it spared the Kuppet members on the grounds they had shown signs they would endorse it.

The Kuppet members were to be put on the scheme but then lose their monthly medical allowances that range from Sh767 to Sh4,412.

Instead the post-primary school teachers would have been required to pay annual premiums of between Sh12,062 for the lowest paid teachers on job group F and Sh52,944 for a chief principal.

The total premiums per year for all the Kuppet members would add up to Sh1.7 billion.

Others who will be enlisted in the new scheme are about 3,000 staff at the Teachers Service Commission secretariat.

Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o has invited all trade unions in the public service, including Knut, Kuppet and Union of Kenya Civil Servants to a meeting to discuss the medical insurance scheme.