Thousands of
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff will stage protests in Nairobi on
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, a day after county governments rejected a proposal to
pay them starting July 1.
The protests will coincide with the absence of top Ministry of Health officials, led by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who are attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva from May 19 to 27.
Duale is leading a delegation of 59 government officials to the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Also in attendance will be embassy officials in Geneva and Duale's principal secretaries Ouma Oluga and Mary Muthoni.
The assembly is attended by delegations from all WHO member states and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
Through their Health Sector Caucus, UHC staff issued a notice to Nairobi police informing them of the planned protests in the capital on May 20, 2025.
The staff are demanding permanent employment, payment of outstanding gratuities, salary equalisation, and allocation of their budget in the 2025/26 financial year.
They are also calling for payment of gratuities before their payroll is transferred to county governments on July 1, 2025.
“An estimated 8,000 UHC staff are expected to participate in this course,” a notice by the lobby group reads in part.
The May 20 protests come amid a standoff between the national and county governments over the fate of 20,000 UHC workers currently employed by the national government.
The Council of Governors (CoG) stated on May 19, 2025, that it will not absorb the UHC workers into county payrolls, citing insufficient funding, discriminatory employment terms, and a lack of clarity from the national government.
CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi said counties would reject the transition unless their conditions are met, adding that they have not officially received the UHC payroll and will not accept it unless it comes with sufficient funding to cover salaries.
Healthcare workers employed on contract under the UHC programme have been protesting, demanding immediate absorption into permanent and pensionable terms and the payment of long-promised gratuities.
The national government has since announced that the UHC staff payroll will be transferred to county governments effective July 1.
“Counties should not be dragged into a simmering tussle until the national government conclusively deals with what is at hand,” Abdullahi said.
