Ministry of Health Responds to Reports of Duale’s Fallout With His PS

The Ministry of Health has denied claims made bythe Daily Nationregarding its article, which purported that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga contradicted themselves on the fate of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workforce.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Oluga noted that while Duale assured the conversion ofUHC workers to permanent and pensionable terms, his sentiments did not contradict the PS’s call for scrutiny before permanently absorbing the staff.
According to Oluga, his letter to the Council of Governors focused on verifying which staff members are on duty and which are not, for payroll cleansing, and did not in any way rebut Duale’s pronouncement.
He noted that his stance on UHC workers was part of a coordinated reform agenda aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in managing the UHC workforce.
Oluga further stated that the scrutiny exercise was both routine and legally required as part of the accounting officer’s responsibility, adding that the decision was reached during his meeting with all county health officials on August 21.
“These actions guarantee that every shilling is accounted for and that every legitimate worker on duty is duly paid and transitioned to permanent and pensionable terms,” the PS stated.
“Therefore, the CS statement and the PS letter do not contradict each other. Instead, they complement and reinforce one another,” he added.
Oluga went ahead to criticise the Nation Media Group (NMG), accusing it of allegedly misrepresenting facts despite receiving clarity on the matter from the PS.
While terming the Nation’s article as misleading, the PS called on journalists and media partners to uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness, and responsibility in reporting.
The PS revealed the government’s intention to commence theabsorption of the UHC workers to permanent and pensionable terms from Septemberthis year.
“The Ministry remains committed to strengthening the health workforce, a key delivery pillar of Taifa Care, while safeguarding public resources through accountability and transparency,” Oluga affirmed.
Meanwhile,Daily Nationhas since recalled the controversial article that had been titled, ‘Health CS and PS at war over Ksh9 billion ghost workers’ scandal,’ for editorial review.