Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the Council of Governors (CoG) have agreed on measures to address the long-running concerns over the transition of staff under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.

In a statement shared on their X account on September 2, 2025, the Ministry of Health announced that Duale had held high-level talks with governors in an extraordinary consultative meeting chaired by CoG Chairperson and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi aimed at tackling pressing workforce management issues.

“The meeting underscored the collective commitment of both levels of government to restore trust in the health system, with resolutions aimed at building a more responsive and sustainable healthcare system for all Kenyans,” the Ministry of Health stated.

UHC staff

According to the ministry, the meeting resolved that a joint Ministry of Health-CoG technical team will finalise and co-sign the verification report for UHC staff by September 5, 2025.

To facilitate this transition, a new CoG committee composed of chairs of the Health, Legal, Finance, and Human Resource committees, together with the Governor of Makueni, will develop modalities to pay UHC workers at Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) rates for the remainder of their contracts.

“A new CoG committee comprising Health, Legal, Finance & HR Chairs, alongside the Governor of Makueni, will develop modalities for paying UHC workers at SRC rates for the remainder of their contracts,” the statement reads.

SHA reimbursements

The two sides also resolved to improve SHA reimbursements by introducing a Governors’ Dashboard to track Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) claim payments.

According to the ministry, this will assist in addressing persistent delays in SHA reimbursements that have affected healthcare service delivery across counties.

Other resolutions

On career progression, the Public Service Commission was urged to withdraw guidelines it had developed without county input.

“PSC urged to withdraw current guidelines developed without county consultation and ensure future frameworks factor in implementation costs under equitable revenue allocations,” the statement noted.

The talks also touched on ambulance and evacuation services, with further consultations planned to align the rollout of the program with devolved functions under the Constitution.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga (Medical Services), PS Mary Muthoni (Public Health and Professional Standards), Dr. Mercy Mwangangi (CEO, SHA), and Engineer Anthony Lenayara (CEO, Digital Health Agency).