UHC health workers left in limbo as CoG rejects fresh payroll absorption plan
Universal Health Coverage workers protest along Uhuru Highway in Nairobi on May 20, last year, during an earlier demonstration over their delayed absorption.
What you need to know:
- The Council of Governors has again rejected a plan to absorb over 7,000 UHC health workers onto county payrolls.
- Rejection follows a letter from PS Jane Imbunya asking counties to integrate the staff, which CoG dismissed as impractical and beyond the PS's authority.
The Council of Governors (CoG) has once again rejected a proposal to absorb health workers who were hired under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, leaving thousands of them stuck in a familiar cycle of promises and setbacks.
Their fate continues to be tossed between the Health Ministry, the Ministry of Public Service and Human Capital Development, the Treasury and the Council of Governors, none of whom appears willing to take final responsibility for the workers' absorption.
The impasse comes just as the UHC workers prepare for another demonstration, slated for Wednesday, July 22.
In a letter dated July 21, Dr Jane Imbunya, Principal Secretary (PS) at the State Department for Public Service and Human Capital Development, wrote to Dr Ouma Oluga, PS Medical Services, asking for the central migration of the UHC staff payroll. She assured him that his earlier request for technical support on the transfer of payroll data for more than 7,000 UHC staff would be granted.
Respective counties
"This State Department is committed to providing technical assistance to ensure a smooth transition of the UHC staff; consequently, upon receipt of this request, this State Department has transferred all the UHC staff to their respective counties as per the availed data," the letter read in part.
Dr Imbunya advised the counties to verify all the transfer records and immediately integrate the UHC staff into their payrolls for purposes of payment.
"The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to inform you that this request for transferring the UHC staff has been made, and it is awaiting the respective county government to verify and integrate them into their respective payrolls," she added.
But the Council of Governors swiftly rejected the proposal in a rebuttal letter written by Mombasa Governor AbdulSwamad Nassir, who chairs the Health Committee at the Council of Governors.
"We wish to state that the proposed central transfer of payroll is not practical until outstanding matters relating to availability of resources for payment of salaries by county governments are addressed conclusively. Until that is done, migration of payroll data by the Ministry of Health to respective county governments will not be tenable," said AbdulSwamad.
He added that translating the UHC staff's terms of service to permanent and pensionable terms remains the mandate of county governments through their respective County Public Service Boards.
"This mandate cannot be unilaterally exercised by the Principal Secretary through a letter," he said.
Shiku Kihara, a UHC representative, told Nation that there was a brief sigh of relief when they read Dr Imbunya's letter urging the Council of Governors to hasten the absorption process, but that they took the news with a pinch of salt.
"This always happens when we are about to demonstrate; they write letters to give us hope, and then nothing is done. The cycle continues, and we keep waiting and hoping that there will be change," she said.
Speaking to Nation yesterday, Kihara said UHC workers in Murang'a and Embu counties had confirmed that they received payroll but had not acted on it, but they are now unsure what is at stake following the Council of Governors' rejection.
Equitable share
For nearly six years, this cohort of health workers has been waiting, hoping the government would absorb them. This year, the promise seemed more real than ever after they received a budgetary allocation for their payments. However, the funding was no guarantee, as it was given as a conditional grant rather than as part of the equitable share.
"The governors did not agree to absorb us because they said that the money would be withdrawn any time when it is set aside as a conditional grant. That process has now been derailed to this day," said Kihara.
The UHC health workers have been on strike since June 30, still waiting for the government to absorb them on permanent and pensionable terms.
