The County Governments and the Ministry of Health have agreed on how to manage the staff working under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program.
This was one of the main outcomes of a high-level meeting held on April 14, 2025, at the Council of Governors (CoG) offices in Nairobi.
The meeting brought together officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Energy, and Ministry of ICT.
They discussed key issues including the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), digitization of health services, the rollout of UHC, the National Equipment Programme (NEPS), payment of Community Health Promoters (CHPs), and implementation of previous summit resolutions.
In a joint statement signed by CoG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi and Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, it was agreed that county governments will carry out a headcount of all UHC staff and ensure proper accountability.
The National Government, through the Ministry of Health, will then transfer the required funds to counties based on the salary scales approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
“The Ministry of Health shall disburse resources for salaries of UHC staff to counties,” the statement read.
To support the digitization of healthcare, the meeting also agreed to form a joint taskforce made up of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of ICT, and the Council of Governors.
This taskforce will focus on improving electricity and internet access in health facilities, which is necessary for successful health digitization in all counties.
“The Council of Governors together with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy, and Ministry of ICT will establish a joint taskforce to address electricity and internet connectivity as enablers to the effective digitization of health facilities in the counties,” the statement added.
The Ministry of Health and the Digital Health Agency will also assess existing information systems used in counties, such as Afyake, for possible inclusion in the National Health Information Exchange portal.
The SHA is expected to increase funding for the Emergency Chronic and Critical Illness Fund to improve services.
Additionally, the SHA will consider providing extra funds for training health workers in levels 2 to 5 health facilities, especially in areas such as registration and optimization of SHA services.
The Digital Health Agency has been directed to speed up the digitization of health services in all 47 counties, including the delivery of digital devices to all public health facilities.
This will support key programs such as the National Equipment Service Programme.
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