Police officers and teachers are among the public servants who will start paying their hospital bills in cash after the government failed to pay their insurance remittances owed to key public and private hospitals in the country.
The National Treasury has a Ksh29 billion contract with Medical Administrators Kenya Limited (MAKL), which handles medical administration for the largest private and public health insurance schemes for civil servants in Kenya. However, it has not paid a single cent.
Over the past seven months, some of the contracted hospitals have not received their dues. As a result, more than 452,635 teachers and tutors have been left without access to medical services.
Additionally, a special section of the police, including those deployed to protect the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary, Cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, parastatal heads, and government agencies, are also affected.
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The disruption of services affects not only those on referral cases but also normal admissions and outpatient services.
“What is happening is that individual private hospitals are presenting official letters declaring they have suspended services,” said Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association (RUPHA) Chairman Dr Brian Lishenga.
The hospitals that have suspended services for all police officers and teachers include Tenwek Hospital, Siloam, Chelymo Medical Centre, Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital in South Nyanza, and Reale Hospital Eldoret, among several others countrywide.
The management of Tenwek Hospital in Bomet County discontinued all services for the affected professions on 1st February.
“This decision has been made due to an outstanding payment owed by MAKL for services already rendered,” the hospital management stated.
“MAKL members will be required to pay in cash for all services. This measure is necessary to ensure the sustainability of our services.”
The defunct NHIF owes Tenwek Hospital Ksh560 million, while the Social Health Authority (SHA) owes the hospital Ksh120 million as of January 31, 2025.
Speaking on behalf of teachers, Collins Oyuu, the Secretary-General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) National Chairman Omboko Milemba warned that the crisis would disrupt learning in schools if the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) does not address the plight of its members.
“The disruption of medical services for teachers affects households across the 47 counties. Sick teachers cannot pay from their pockets and offer quality services to learners,” Omboko Milemba told the press.
“Mr John Mbadi, the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, should intervene,” he added.
Nancy Macharia, the Chief Executive Officer of TSC, confirmed the issue and urged teachers to remain calm as they await Treasury’s intervention.
“This is a serious matter that is being pursued by the National Treasury to have medical services resume in the affected hospitals countrywide,” a senior representative from the National Police Service (NPS) said on the matter.
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