Clinical officers picket for better employment terms

By , May 14, 2025

For the first time, the government has indicated it will absorb Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into permanent and pensionable arrangements even as a section of healthcare workers marched and camped outside Afya House, the Ministry of Health headquarters.

Led by the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers ( KUCO), they picketed at the main entrance to the Ministry for  hours, demanding that the government address the critical issues affecting the UHC workers.

“We are here today to distort that agreement and to affirm our position that we cannot allow those punitive terms of agreement,” said KUCO national chairman, Peterson Wachira, noting that the agreement that the UHC staff be transferred to the counties from July 1, 2025.

“Why do they want to transfer the payroll of UHC workers to the 47 counties?” he posed.

However, according to Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale the permanent and pensionable terms of employment for UHC staff has to wait for one more year in a process that involves verification of UHC staff returns, and allowing them to run down their contract.

Various stakeholders

“The transition of UHC staff to permanent and pensionable terms of employment will be incorporated into the Financial Year 2026/27 budget upon contract expiry,” said the CS in a statement.

The announcement follows a series of engagements which started on April 14, 2025 between the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors to jumpstart the stalled negotiations that has witnessed several street protests by the UHC staff.

Last week, the Ministry also met the healthcare workers unions and UHC representatives in the presence of the Council of Governors. One of the major agreements reached with the various stakeholders is to transition to county governments, all UHC staff effective July 1, 2025.

“The Ministry is urging the Council of Governors to expedite the submission of verified UHC staff returns to facilitate the preparation of the May 2025 payroll,” said Duale, also indicating that gratuity for UHC staff will be processed upon contract expiry, following guidance from the Public Service Commission.

The CS also indicated that the UHC staff contracts, as agreed between individual staff and County governments, will remain until May 2026, as per the signed agreements. He also announced that by July 1, 2025, the management of UHC staff payrolls and associated budgets will be transferred to County Governments.

This announcement would possibly mark the cessation of industrial hostilities between the healthcare unions and the government, following the delay to absorb the UHC staff into permanent and pensionable terms of employment.

Capacity building

The Ministry acknowledged the healthcare unions for their pivotal role in advocating for healthcare workers’ rights and welfare, strengthening professional standards and enhancing service delivery in the health sector.

“The ministry continues to focus on national referral Health facilities, Health policy formulation, standard setting, capacity building and technical assistance to county governments,” he added.

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