Governors Issue Fresh Demands to Duale

The Council of Governors has opposed the Ministry of Health’s decision to absorb over 7,000 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff to permanent and pensionable terms.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 26, the council’s Health Committee Chair and Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki claimed that the decision by the ministry contravenes the previously agreed position between the national and county government in regards to absorption of the staff.
According to Njuki, the absorption of staff should only be carried out once the government has allocated adequate resources in accordance with the approved Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) scale, and after the transfer of payroll to county governments has been agreed.
He termed the absorption of staff premature because their contracts are still valid.
“While acknowledging the ongoing collaboration between the two levels of government in addressing the management of UHC staff, the Council wishes to clarify that it does not concur with the Ministry of Health’s position expressed in the press statement. The press contradicts the previously agreed position between the National and County Governments,” Njuki stated.
“It was agreed that the Ministry of Health would allocate adequate resources as per the approved SRC salaries scale before the transfer of the payroll to the county Governments. Since the contracts are still valid, the decision to transfer the staff at this time is premature and untimely,” he added.
Furthermore, Njuki claimed that the council did not give a green light to the process of absorbing the staff, since the report from the verification exercise of the UHC staff was not validated and officially shared.
The council has further urged the ministry to ensure that it settles all gratuity payments for the UHC staff before they transition to county government, since the staff are still engaged on contractual terms, which entitle them to gratuity.
“The Council reiterates its earlier commitment to absorb verified UHC staff and facilitate their salaries in line with the approved SRC salary scales, once the allocation of the resources has been disbursed to the counties, as well as the gratuity obligations have been honored,” the statement read.
In a statement on Monday, August 25, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that the verifiedUHC staff will be absorbed by September 2025.
However, according to Duale, during the absorption, the group will be classified into two; one which will comprise UHC staff who have been in active service, while the second group will be those with pending disciplinary issues.
The governmentwill only absorb those who are in active service, while disciplinary action will be taken against the second group of those with disciplinary issues, which includes removal from the payroll, according to the CS.
Duale claimed that the decision to absorb the staff was made after the State Department for Medical Services, in collaboration with the Council of Governors (CoG), conducted a verification process of all UHC staff across the country to verify the staff.
“Consequently, the remaining 7,414 staff will be categorised into two groups: those currently in active service and those with pending disciplinary issues. Staff in active service will be formally transitioned and absorbed with effect from September 2025,” Duale stated.
“UHC Staff members absent from duty or having disciplinary issues will not be absorbed. Such cases will be reviewed in consultation with the Public Service Commission (PSC), in line with PSC Regulations 2020 on Human Resources, which provides for separation, removal from the payroll, and other disciplinary measures,” he added.