Governors reject President Ruto’s order to absorb 7,400 UHC workers
The county chiefs said they will not comply unless the national treasury provides at least Sh7.7 billion to meet the cost of converting the contracts to permanent and pensionable terms.
Governors have dismissed President William Ruto’s directive requiring counties to immediately absorb more than 7,400 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers, setting the stage for another clash between national and county governments over healthcare staffing.
The county chiefs said they will not comply unless the national treasury provides at least Sh7.7 billion to meet the cost of converting the contracts to permanent and pensionable terms.
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They also want Sh9.4 billion released to settle gratuity arrears for staff whose contracts are ending.
“What the President is saying is not possible. We don’t have the money to absorb all of them. Unless they give us money, it will be difficult to implement his order,” a governor who sought anonymity told Eastleighvoice.
Their position came just a day after Ruto, while in Mombasa, issued employment letters to some of the workers and directed counties to immediately put them on permanent terms. He insisted that both levels of government must move quickly to end the uncertainty.
“We want to take these workers off contract and make them permanent and pensionable. I am calling on the counties to formalise these workers starting this September because we have the resources,” Ruto said.
The pronouncement contradicted a recent deal between the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors (CoG), which had agreed that the workers would remain on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) scale until June 2026, when their salaries would be included in the national budget.
Governors had earlier rejected the ministry’s proposal for one-year funding, saying it was unsustainable.
“The ministry cannot alter the contracts of UHC staff without involving county governments,” CoG chair Ahmed Abdullahi stated.
“The council will only accede to variations if the equitable share of revenue is increased to cater for them.”
Governors are expected to meet next week to deliberate on the matter, further clouding the fate of the health workers who have already staged several protests over what they describe as discriminatory treatment compared to their colleagues on permanent contracts.
Ruto also took issue with counties that have delayed payments to Community Health Promoters (CHPs), ordering that arrears be cleared within the week.
At the same time, he commended Mombasa for achieving 69 per cent registration under the Social Health Authority (SHA) and disclosed the county had received more than Sh1.5 billion in SHA allocations.
To contain the stalemate, the Ministry of Health had offered a temporary arrangement where it would continue paying the UHC workers on improved terms for 10 months starting September, before handing them over to counties in the next financial year once more resources are allocated.
“In principle, the money we have this financial year is for county staff. But from September, they will be paid under SRC guidelines. Sh7.7 billion will be transferred and factored into the Division of Revenue Bill,” Health CS Aden Duale explained.
Meanwhile, members of Parliament have increased pressure on Duale over continued setbacks in implementing the Social Health Authority.
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