Thousands of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers marched to the Ministry of Health headquarters in Nairobi on Wednesday to demand permanent and pensionable employment after their contracts expired on June 30 without renewal, leaving many uncertain about their salaries, healthcare cover and future.
The workers accused both the national and county governments of failing to honour repeated promises to absorb them into permanent employment despite years of service in public health facilities across the country.
Many of the workers, dressed in their official uniforms, said they had continued reporting to work even after their contracts lapsed, but had not received any formal communication on whether they had been retained or when they would receive their July salaries.
The demonstration came as the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU) issued a 14-day strike notice to the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors, warning that health workers across the country would down their tools unless UHC staff were confirmed on permanent and pensionable terms.
Addressing the protesters, James Ntabo, speaking on behalf of the ministry's leadership, assured the workers that funding had already been set aside and that the process of confirming them into permanent employment was at an advanced stage.
“The budget is there,” Ntabo said, adding that the ministry was waiting for Senate approval to transfer UHC funding from conditional grants to the equitable share allocation, a move expected to pave the way for permanent and pensionable employment.
In a statement issued on July 6, the Ministry of Health said the Public Service Commission had extended the workers' contracts to June 30 to allow time to complete the transition process.
The ministry said a multi-agency committee had made progress in changing the funding framework and assured workers that those absorbed into permanent employment would be paid in line with Salaries and Remuneration Commission guidelines.
Despite the assurances, many workers said they had lost confidence after years of waiting for promises that had yet to be fulfilled.
According to the workers, the proposed solution is to transfer the allocation to the equitable share framework through an amendment by the Senate, a move they believe would allow counties to employ them on permanent and pensionable terms.
The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union has stepped up pressure by issuing a 14-day strike notice to the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors.
The union cited three unresolved issues: failure to issue permanent and pensionable appointment letters to UHC workers despite an earlier government commitment, failure to conclude a centralised recognition agreement with the union, and failure to finalise a collective bargaining agreement covering public health officers, specialists and technicians.
The union warned that nationwide industrial action would begin if the three issues were not resolved within the notice period.
Pressure has also mounted from the Kenya Health Caucus, an umbrella body bringing together six health-sector unions, which has backed calls for the government to complete the transition and end years of uncertainty facing UHC workers.