Council of Governors Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi.
Governors have convened an emergency meeting today to discuss the stalemate over employing 7,414 medics and the National Treasury’s electronic procurement system that has stalled county budgets.
A directive by the Ministry of Health for counties to absorb the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) medics beginning today, without providing Sh7.7 billion for their salaries, has infuriated governors.
They are also opposed to another decree by the National Treasury for all public tenders to be processed in the e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system, which has also been rejected by the National Assembly.
Given the twin disputes, Council of Governors (CoG) chairperson and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, in a notice seen by Nation dated August 28th, has invited all governors to the extraordinary meeting in Nairobi this morning.
“The proposed agenda of the extraordinary council meeting is to deliberate on the following critical issues affecting service delivery to counties: management of human resource in the health sector and national government directive on the implementation of e-procurement,” Mr Abdullahi informs his colleagues.
Governors have protested that Treasury has blocked counties from uploading procurement plans in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and derailed full implementation of the 2025/26 budgets to enforce compliance.
“The implementation challenges associated with the system have continued to paralyse operations, thereby denying service delivery to citizens in critical sectors such as health,” Mr Abdullahi writes in a separate letter dated August 21 addressed to National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.
“In this regard, the Council asks the National Treasury to lift any administrative blocks related to the implementation of e-GP, failure to which we shall continue to seek legal redress on the underlying issues as this borders on the provision of services across all counties,” the Wajir governor adds.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during a press briefing at Afya House in Nairobi on August 25, 2025.
Governors have also rejected another attempt by the Treasury to impose an e-Citizen-like revenue collection system for all counties, arguing the government is targeting the own-source revenue that counties generate.
However, the immediate crisis is the order requiring counties to employ the 7,414 UHC medics on a permanent and pensionable basis.
Governors, the Nation has learnt, are considering terminating the contracts for the workers if the Health ministry insists they are absorbed by counties without an additional Sh7.7 billion being transferred to counties for their salaries.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale last week said the workers who have been on a protracted strike will be absorbed into public service from September 1, except those who did not turn up for a verification exercise.
“Out of the 7,629 UHC staff verified, 215 failed to present themselves; these individuals have been identified as either ghost workers or unqualified health professionals,” Mr Duale said.
He added that salaries for the 215 have been stopped pending investigations to recover irregular payments.
The other 7,414 eligible staff, he explained, will be placed in two categories: those currently in active service and those facing disciplinary cases.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga, in a letter to CoG CEO Mary Mwiti on August 25, 2025, explained that those who abscond from work will not benefit from the new employment terms.
“It has been noted that a number of officers who presented themselves during headcount exercise are currently not on duty, which has negatively affected service delivery in various county health facilities. To ensure accurate biodata, effective planning and continuity of UHC services, we request your assistance in submitting comprehensive UHC staff returns for all 47 counties,” Dr Oluga told CoG in the letter addressed to Ms Mwiti.
“The templates should capture the staff who are actively working (Appendix I) and the staff who are currently on strike or otherwise absent, indicating effective dates of absence,” Dr Oluga explained. He added that the reports should be submitted to the County Executive Committee (CEC) members for Health.
“Kindly ensure the compiled staff returns are submitted by 1st September 2025. The information will enable us to assess the impact on UHC service delivery, put in place mitigation measures and address any ongoing issues,” the PS wrote.
A day later, CoG Health Committee Chair Muthomi Njuki said all 47 counties had rejected the absorption of the 7,414 UHC medics, arguing the Health CS made the decision without consulting the council.
Tharaka Nithi County Governor and Council of Governors’ Health Committee Chairman Muthomi Njuki addressing journalists during a presser at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi on August 26, 2025.
"The relationship between the Ministry of Health and Counties is supposed to be collaborative, not directive," said Mr Njuki, who is also the Tharaka-Nithi governor.
Mr Njuki said the CS had also not shared with the CoG the list of verified UHC medics after the scrutiny that exposed plumbers and salon attendants masquerading as health workers.
“While acknowledging the ongoing collaboration between the two levels of government in addressing the management of UHC staff, CoG wishes to clarify that it does not concur with the Ministry of Health’s position expressed in the press statement. The statement contradicts the previously agreed position between the national and county governments,” Mr Njuki told journalists in Nairobi last week.
Mr Njuki also said the Health ministry has not allocated Sh7.7 billion to the counties as agreed in prior talks.
He also asked the ministry to ensure that the gratuity it owed the medics is fully paid before absorption into public service.
“On the transfer of the UHC staff, it was agreed that MoH 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,” Mr Njuki 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,” he added.
Counties also want Treasury to withdraw the e-procurement system, given the National Assembly’s resolution on August 19th to revoke in its entirety the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority circular.
“The same provides for mandatory use of the electronic government procurement system (e-GPS) by all public procuring entities beginning July 1st this year. We note that the rollout of the e-GP from its conception has been hasty, incomprehensive and marred with inconsistencies that have caused confusion or paralysis of service delivery across procuring entities,” Mr Abdullahi wrote in the letter to Treasury.
“Legally, with the annulment of the circular, it is expected that all procuring entities will revert to the public procurement framework as before, which is provided for in existing laws and regulations,” he added.
Meanwhile, UHC workers have given notice of a strike. The Health Sector Caucus, in a notice to the Nairobi Regional Police Commander, has announced that all UHC medics across the country will begin peaceful demonstrations from Tuesday.
“The Health Sector Caucus wishes to notify your office that they will be having peaceful procession by UHC staff across all 17 cadres marching to MoH, the CoG and Public Service commission (PSC) offices on Tuesday 2nd September 2025 following up on matters of chronic delay in implementing PnP for all UHC staff, demand gazettement and publishing of UHC data post audit for clarity, gazettement of commitment to pay gratuity and timelines by MoH and delayed return to work formula (RTWF) agreement,” the notice reads.
“An estimated 5,000 UHC staff are expected to participate in this cause, the procession will start from Green Park Terminus where members will peacefully assemble at 8am and then march towards the aforementioned offices led by the leaders of the unions,” Mr Peterson Wachira, the chair of the Health Sector Caucus, informed the police while requesting they be facilitated with security as they exercise their right to picket.
