Civil servants cry foul over lack of medical cover, threaten mega protests

Public sector unions have called on the government to address the challenges affecting civil servants' medical cover under the Social Health Authority (SHA).

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah and his Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) counterpart Tom Odege, in a joint statement on Friday, said the issue directly hinders thousands of workers and their dependents from accessing comprehensive medical cover.

The two union leaders noted that failure by the government to address the challenges would lead to the planned mega-demonstrations on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

"We expect swift and decisive action to address these urgent concerns. We will not allow our members to suffer due to administrative failures—this is a government-to government matter, and it must be resolved immediately," read the statement in part.

Dr. Atellah and Mr. Odege noted that since 2013, civil servants relinquished their medical allowances in exchange for a comprehensive healthcare plan under SHA to ensure uninterrupted access to medical services.

"However, persistent inefficiencies continue to undermine this agreement, necessitating immediate intervention. The delay in accessing medical services is due to systemic inefficiencies," they added.

“The government deducts SHIF and medical allowances from civil servants' salaries but fails to remit the funds to SHA for the provision of comprehensive medical cover. These deducted funds must be remitted in a timely manner, as failure to do so by the 9th of each month results in SHA automatically halting the provision of this service.”

The union bosses further reaffirmed their quest in fighting for civil servants' rights in accessing quality healthcare services.

"We will not remain passive while our right to healthcare is compromised. Civil servants have upheld their commitment by making regular contributions—it is the employer's responsibility to fulfill its obligations without fail," added the statement. 

“Given that all our members are currently unable to access medical cover, our planned mega demonstrations on March 18th remain in effect. We expect swift and decisive action to address these urgent concerns.”