No strike for year after Ruto, health workers agree ceasefire

President William Ruto has brokered a deal with health workers not to strike for 12 months to allow him roll out Universal Health Coverage.

The deal was unveiled by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and signed by government officials and top leaders of health unions in Kericho on Wednesday.

The agreement follows a series of meetings convened by Health CS Susan Nakhumicha and Koskei.

All registered unions representing health workers signed the agreement.

The government side was signed for by CS Nakhumicha, Public Service CS Moses Kuria, CEO of the Council of Governors, and Veronica Nduva, PS in the State Department for Performance and Delivery Management.

“There will be no industrial actions as long as the employer keeps their end of the bargain. So, there must be a commitment from both sides,” said Peterson Wachira, chairman of the Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers.

The pact bound health workers “towards industrial harmony and peaceful relations for the period of the declaration (12 months) based on the pledges contained in this declaration. This will allow them to jointly track progress, enabling attainment of the pledges included in the declaration.”

Officials who signed said President Ruto is keen to avoid disruptions as he rolls out the UHC.

The pact carries 17 agreements, most of them needing the commitment of the government.

It binds the government to establish a way for medical staff to transfer between counties without having to resign, within 12 months.

It also says within nine months, the government must facilitate the implementation of pending promotions and re-designations for healthcare workers who meet necessary requirements.

The government agreed to, within two years, introduce county or region-based training programmes for health specialists so that they do not have to travel to Nairobi.

It also committed to facilitate the absorption of all contract health workers within the next eight months.

The government will also establish a centralised mechanism for Collective Bargaining Agreement on behalf of all employers.

The two parties agreed the Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council, a new body that was inaugurated in June, will track the implementation of the agreement.

Koskei said although the council was created in 2017, it had not been constituted, leading to the current challenges among health workers.

“Our swift constitution of KHHRAC, conducted in close consultation with the Council of Governors, exemplifies the government's unwavering commitment to offering sustainable solutions to the long-standing challenges afflicting the health sector,” he said.

He said the council will be a central coordinating mechanism to harmonise policies and strategies in health.

He said the national and county governments will allow health workers to move between counties.

“These challenges encompass firstly the question of staff mobility – what has come to be known as labour migration, chiefly the fact that once you are employed by one country government, you can only move to the next county if you resign,” he said.

“The second challenge is training, retooling and personal development. The third is staff welfare and career advancement, the fourth is performance management and motivation, and the fifth is healthcare worker safety and well-being.”

Speaking at the meeting, Public CS Moses Kuria said the national and county governments must work together to harmonise healthcare services.

He also said the health workers in the counties must sign performance contracts.

“Counties are currently outside of performance contracting.  Everybody,  in county or national government, must sign contracts on performance,” he said.

“We have cleaners in my office on contract performance but very highly qualified physicians in counties who have no performance contracts.”

Health CS Nakhumicha supported Kuria on the performance agreements.

“You cannot be the doctor who comes and hangs your dust coat and sees no patient and expect rewards. Everyone must meet their ends of demand. You cant be the nurse circulating on social media without human face and expect a good reward,” she said.