State to transfer UHC staff payroll to counties

Health CS Aden Duale leads a consultative meeting with Council of Governors and unions representing health workers on UHC staff transition/MoH

The Ministry of Health will transfer the management of UHC staff payroll to counties effective July 1, 2025, as part of efforts to resolve long-standing grievances relating to human resource.

A statement signed by Medical Services PS Dr Ouma Oluga and CoG chief executive officer Mary Mwiti, MoH said the payroll will be moved, in the interim, with the attendant budget for payment of stipends under the current terms of service.

The statement said the deal was reached after a meeting with the leadership of Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers (Kuco), Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers and Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union.

Unions representing the workers, the Council of Governors (CoG) and Ministry of Health indicated that this was part of the concerns they resolved to address.

It was also resolved that county governments will be provided with additional funds before the expiry of the current UHC contracts for purposes of full absorption of UHC staffs on permanent and pensionable (PnP) terms.

“Service gratuity payments will be considered upon conclusion of absorption of the UHC staff,” the statement said.

The meeting further agreed that UHC staff currently out of duty are to resume work with immediate effect and not later than May 7, 2025.

On April 1, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale pledged to address long-standing employment concerns affecting healthcare workers under UHC programme within the next three weeks.

Duale assured the workers of his commitment to resolving key issues, including the settlement of gratuity and transitioning workers with over five years of service to PnP terms.

He emphasised fairness and equity in addressing health sector concerns, promising consultative solutions that prioritise the welfare of healthcare professionals.

But on April 29, hundreds of UHC workers took to the streets of Nairobi in a peaceful protest, demanding permanent jobs, payment of unpaid gratuities and salary equalisation.

The UHC workers said they have endured years of unfulfilled promises since their recruitment in May 2020.

Among the issues raised were discrimination at the county level, denial of allowances and leave days, unpaid gratuities, withheld salaries, and the government’s failure to confirm them to PnP terms.