Nurses, clinical officers and other workers blocking the road during the strike./PHOTO: EZEKIEL AMING'A
UHC workers dancing towards the Ministry of Health entrance.
UHC workers seated infront of the marking Ministry of Health
Two female UHC workers in atires written "Protect your child from HIV".
Workers carrying flags and vuvuzelas outside the Ministry of Health
UHC worker blowing vuvuzela outside the Ministry of HealthNurses in blue scrub caps and white lab coats during the strike
Healthcare workers under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme on Monday staged a protest outside the Ministry of Health headquarters at Afya House, demanding urgent action on long-standing employment grievances.
The workers marched through Nairobi’s Upper Hill area carrying placards and blowing vuvuzelas as they blocked the road to the ministry gate, calling for an audience with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.
Their complaints include delayed contract renewals, persistent salary disparities, and the ministry’s failure to transition workers with more than five years of service to permanent and pensionable (PnP) terms.
“We have been patient for far too long,” one of the protestors said.
“Our contracts are renewed late; some of us have worked for over five years but have no job security. We deserve better.”
In addition to contract-related issues, the workers are demanding payment of their five-year gratuity, remittance of statutory deductions including NSSF, and a formal response from both the Ministry of Health and Parliament regarding their petitions.
Their frustrations are not new. In March, the striking workers marched to Parliament twice, seeking Senate intervention on the matter.
At the beginning of April, Health CS Aden Duale promised to resolve their concerns within three weeks.
Two months later, the workers say they are still waiting.
“Duale made a public commitment, but nothing has changed,” said a representative from the workers’ union. “We are tired of empty promises. All we are asking for is fairness and what is rightfully ours.”
Tuesday's protest adds pressure on the government to address the staffing and welfare concerns threatening the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage initiative—one of the pillars of Kenya’s health sector reform.
