UHC staff ordered to resume work as payroll shifts to counties in July

All Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff have been directed to return to work by Wednesday, May 7, 2025, following a resolution by the Ministry of Health and health workers’ unions to transfer payroll management to county governments.

In a joint statement on Tuesday by Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga and Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti, the ministry said the payroll transfer will take effect on July 1, 2025 and that county governments will be provided with additional funds before the expiry of the current UHC contracts to facilitate the full absorption of staff into permanent and pensionable terms.

“The Ministry of Health shall transfer the management of UHC staff payroll to counties effective July 1, 2025, with attendant budget for payment of stipend under the current terms in the interim,” reads the statement.

The meeting that led to this decision brought together the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors and leaders of several health workers’ unions, including the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers, and the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union. It was chaired by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.

The parties agreed that county governments will not only take over payroll responsibilities but also receive budgetary support to ensure the seamless transition and integration of the UHC workforce into the county systems.

“County governments will be provided with additional funds before the expiry of the current UHC contracts for purposes of full absorption to permanent and pensionable terms,” reads the statement.

Service gratuity payments

They noted that service gratuity payments will be addressed after the staff have been absorbed into the new employment terms.

“Service gratuity payments will be considered upon conclusion of absorption of the UHC staff,” the parties said.

All UHC staff who have been off duty have now been instructed to resume duty immediately, and not later than May 7, 2025.

“All UHC staff currently out of duty to resume work with immediate effect and not later than May 7, 2025,” read the statement.

The directive for UHC staff to resume duty comes amid rising pressure from the workforce, which has been pushing for better employment terms.

Since last month, the staff, currently employed on contractual terms, have been demanding to be transitioned into permanent and pensionable positions within the government.

On April 29, 2025, UHC health workers from various counties staged demonstrations in Nairobi. During the protests, they called for their absorption into permanent roles, payment of gratuity accrued over the past five years, and the harmonisation of their salaries in line with guidelines set by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), among other concerns.

The latest agreement between the ministry, county governments, and health unions now addresses most of those demands, marking a key breakthrough in the ongoing struggle for improved employment terms for UHC workers.

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