The Council of Governors (CoG) has disagreed with the Ministry of Health's recent announcement regarding the absorption of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, August 26, the governors' council disputed Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale's position on transferring UHC employees to county payrolls, arguing that the move contradicts previously agreed arrangements between the two levels of government.
The disagreement comes just one day after CS Duale announced that 215 UHC workers had been removed from the government payroll following verification exercises. Plans to transition the remaining 7,414 verified staff members to county governments begin in September 2025.
However, the Council of Governors has raised three critical concerns that must be addressed before any staff transfers can proceed.
The governors insist that the national government must first allocate adequate financial resources based on approved Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) salary scales before transferring UHC staff to county payrolls.
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They argue that the proposed timeline is premature and untimely since the workers' contracts remain valid.
"The Ministry of Health should allocate adequate resources as per the approved SRC salaries scale before the transfer of the payroll to the county governments," the CoG stated in their response.
The council also disputed the validity of the staff verification process, which led to the removal of 215 workers from the payroll. According to the governors, the verification report covering all 7,629 UHC staff members has not been adequately validated or officially shared with county governments.
The Ministry of Health had conducted the verification exercise in collaboration with the Council of Governors, identifying what they termed "ghost workers" and unqualified personnel among the UHC workforce.
The third central sticking point involves gratuity payments owed to UHC staff working under contractual arrangements. The Council of Governors maintains that the Ministry of Health must settle all outstanding gratuity obligations before any transition to county governments can occur.
"The UHC staff currently engaged on contractual terms are entitled to gratuity. Therefore, the Ministry of Health should settle all gratuity payments for UHC staff before their transition to County Governments," the governors stated.
"The Council of Governors reaffirms its commitment to working collaboratively with the Ministry of Health to resolve all matters related to UHC staff management in the spirit of partnership and in the best interest of strengthening health service delivery across the counties.”
The recent verification exercise, part of the government's broader efforts to streamline healthcare service delivery under the UHC program, revealed significant irregularities. The ministry identified 215 workers who either failed to present themselves for verification or lacked proper qualifications.
The remaining verified staff members were categorized into active service providers and those facing disciplinary issues, with only those in good standing eligible for absorption into the county system.
"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 Resource, which provides for separation, removal from the payroll, and other disciplinary measures,” Duale noted.
