Governors, Ministry of Health, resolve to verify all UHC staff before transfers

A meeting between the Council of Governors and Ministry of Health officials to deliberate on key issues in the sector, including the implementation of UHC and the Transition of UHC staff in Nairobi on September 2, 2025. (Photo: CoG)

By Lucy Mumbi
Tuesday, September 2, 2025

The meeting further resolved to roll out a Governors’ Dashboard to track Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) claim payments, with all claims expected to be settled by the 14th of every month.

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with governors, have resolved to ensure that all Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff are verified before any transfers take place, with a joint Ministry of Health–CoG technical team expected to finalise and co-sign the verification report by September 5, 2025.

The high-level consultative meeting, chaired by Council of Governors (CoG) chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, on Tuesday, brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Social Health Authority (SHA), and the Public Service Commission (PSC) to discuss health workforce management, SHA implementation, and career progression guidelines.

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Other than verification, the leaders agreed to form a CoG committee comprising Health, Legal, Finance and HR chairs, along with Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo, to develop modalities for paying UHC workers at SRC-approved rates for the remainder of their contracts.

“The Ministry of Health and a Committee consisting of the Chairs of Health, Legal, Finance, Human Resource Committees and the Governor of Makueni County have been formed to engage on modalities of paying the UHC Workers at SRC Rates from September as we conclude on the full transition and absorption to permanent and pensionable terms,” Health CS Aden Duale said.

The meeting further resolved to roll out a Governors’ Dashboard to track Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) claim payments, with all claims expected to be settled by the 14th of every month.

The Ministry of Health noted that consultations will also continue on ambulance and evacuation services to ensure alignment with devolved functions under the Constitution.

The PSC was also urged to withdraw the current career guidelines developed without county consultation and to ensure future frameworks factor in implementation costs under equitable revenue allocations.

Governors had criticised the PSC for issuing career guidelines without consulting counties, warning that the financial implications had not been considered.

“We urge the Commission to desist from approving cadre-based career progression guidelines without factoring the cost of implementation into the equitable share of revenue to the County Governments,” CoG chair Ahmed Abdullahi said.

Governors had also demanded Sh7.7 billion to cover salaries in line with SRC-approved scales, and Sh9.4 billion to clear gratuity payments owed to staff before any UHC transfers take place. They also insisted that the verification exercise be jointly validated, with an official report shared prior to the transition.

Ahmed stressed that counties would not be forced to absorb UHC staff without proper resources.

“The Ministry continues to paint a public picture that county governments are derailing the process of absorbing the UHC staff. County Governments cannot be back-peddling with the Ministry over a devolved function,” Ahmed said on Monday.

He emphasised that any changes to UHC staff contracts must involve counties and would only be accepted if the equitable share of revenue is increased to cover additional costs.

“The staff transfers must be preceded by Sh7.7 billion in allocations from the Ministry of Health, based on SRC-approved salary scales,” Ahmed said.

He added that gratuity payments amounting to Sh9.4 billion for contract staff must also be settled before transfers. Counties, he noted, are ready to employ verified UHC staff once resources are provided and obligations cleared.