Counties say they need at least Sh7.7 billion every financial year to absorb more than 8,000 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into their payrolls.
Council of Governors Chairman Ahmed Abdulahi, in a statement on Monday after an extra-ordinary council meeting to deliberate on human resource management in the health sector and implementation of e-procurement, accused the Ministry of Health of frustrating counties.
“The ministry continues to paint a public picture that county governments are derailing the process of absorbing the UHC Staff,” the notice reads.
“County governments cannot be back-peddling with the ministry over a devolved function.”
Abdulahi said the ministry cannot alter the contracts of the UHC staff without involving county governments.
He insisted that the transfer of UHC staff to county governments must be preceded by the allocation of adequate resources amounting to Sh7.7 billion from the Ministry of Health, in line with the SRC-approved salary scale.
The governors also demanded that the ongoing verification of staff must be jointly validated and an official report shared before any transfer begins. They further said gratuity payments amounting to Sh9.4 billion for staff currently under contractual terms must be settled by the ministry prior to the transition.
Last week, the Ministry of Health announced that it would absorb 7,414 health workers employed under UHC into permanent and pensionable terms starting September 2025.
According to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, the move follows a recently concluded joint headcount and verification exercise carried out by the State Department for Medical Services in collaboration with the Council of Governors (CoG).
“Out of the 7,629 staff verified, 215 did not present themselves, having been identified as either non-existent (ghost workers) or not qualified health professionals and their salaries have been stopped, and they have been removed from the payroll pending further investigations to prosecute, determine and recover the irregular payment,” Duale said.
He added that UHC staff with pending disciplinary cases or those absent from duty will not be absorbed. “Their cases will be reviewed in consultation with the Public Service Commission (PSC) in line with PSC Regulations 2020, which provide for separation, removal from the payroll, or other disciplinary measures,” he explained.
The CS emphasized that the absorption process is guided by fairness, accountability, and transparency, while safeguarding the rights of eligible officers. He said the exercise reflects the government’s broader agenda of reforming the health sector, ensuring efficient management of public resources, and fulfilling the pledge to deliver UHC to all Kenyans.
The Ministry also promised to work on labor-related issues raised by health workers’ unions.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
