Governors clash with Duale over transfer of UHC workers to counties
Njuki also said the report from the verification exercise for the staff has not been validated and officially shared and therefore the process of transfer that the Ministry is proposing is not agreed upon
The Council of Governors (CoG) has opposed Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on the verification and deployment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers, saying his statement on Monday contradicts the previously agreed position between the national and county governments.
In a statement, CoG Health Committe chairman Muthomi Njuki said the transfer of workers’ payroll to the devolved units was tied to the ministry allocating adequate resources as per the approved Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) scale since their contracts are still valid, the decision to transfer them at this time is premature and untimely.
Njuki also said the report from the verification exercise for the UHC staff has not been validated and officially shared and therefore the process of transfer that the Ministry is proposing is not agreed upon.
At the same time, the Embu Governor noted that the UHC staff currently engaged on contractual terms are entitled to gratuity.
“The Ministry of Health should, therefore, settle all gratuity payments for UHC staff before their transition to County Governments. 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 have been disbursed to the counties as well as the gratuity obligations have been honoured,” he said in a stament.
According to Njuki, the CoG recommends that the national government, through the ministry of Health, should allocate and channel the attendant resources to county governments to facilitate the absorption of UHC staff as per the County HR policy failure to which, the absorption of the UHC staff will be unattainable.
“The Constitution provides that both levels of government should relate on the basis of consultation as opposed to directive. 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,” he said.
On Monday, Duale announced that 7,414 staff have been categorised into two groups: those currently in active service and those with pending disciplinary issues, who will be formally transitioned and absorbed with effect from next month.
He added that UHC Staff members absent from duty or having disciplinary issues, will not be absorbed, saying 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.
“The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Council of Governors, PSC, and other stakeholders, remains steadfast in its resolve to ensure fairness, accountability, and transparency in the absorption process while safeguarding the rights of eligible officers,” Duale said.
He added that the process underscores the unwavering commitment to reforms in the health sector, efficient management of public resources, and realisation of the Government’s pledge to achieve UHC.
Duale also revealed that following a recent joint headcount exercise undertaken by the State Department for Medical Services in collaboration with CoG, out of the 7,629 staff who were verified, 215 did not present themselves, having been identified as either non-existent (ghost workers) or not qualified health professionals.
He said that in addition to stopping payment of their salaries, the workers have been removed from the payroll pending further investigations to prosecute, determine and recover the irregular payment.
