MPs propose extra Sh47bn for health ministry to secure UHC jobs, improve services
The National Assembly Health Committee chair, James Nyikal, said the extra funds include Sh5 billion to pay gratuity to the 8,550 UHC workers whose contracts end in May 2026.
A parliamentary committee has proposed an additional Sh47 billion for the Ministry of Health in the 2025/26 budget, aimed at securing permanent and pensionable terms for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers and strengthening health service delivery.
The National Assembly Health Committee chair, James Nyikal, said the extra funds include Sh5 billion to pay gratuity to the 8,550 UHC workers whose contracts end in May 2026.
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The workers recently threatened to strike if their demands for better job security were not met.
“The additional amount is critical. If the UHC workers are not sorted out, they will go on strike,” Nyikal told the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Before their contracts expire, the government has allocated Sh4 billion for their stipends in the next financial year.
Another Sh3.8 billion is earmarked to confirm them on permanent and pensionable terms, giving them long-term job security.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had advised the workers to take their concerns to Parliament, saying lawmakers control the budget.
Nyikal added that from July 1, 2025, the payroll and management of UHC staff will be handed over to county governments.
“People cannot be in the counties when their payroll is in Nairobi. Let the county governments handle it,” he said.
The committee also proposed Sh3.285 billion to support 107,831 community health promoters paid a monthly stipend of Sh5,000, shared equally between the national and county governments.
It was agreed that one government level should handle these payments to avoid confusion.
While the ministry has been supplying promoters’ kits since the start of the programme, there is no budget allocation for replenishing kits and consumables in 2025/26 despite a need for Sh4.39 billion.
The proposed budget also includes Sh33.9 billion for maternal, newborn, and child health services, which suffered funding cuts after the United States froze its support.
There is an additional Sh4.3 billion to procure HIV drugs, family planning supplies, and vaccines, and to support GAVI and UNICEF initiatives.
Overall, the Ministry of Health is set to receive Sh136.8 billion, a slight increase of Sh708 million compared to the current year.
This includes Sh110.7 billion for day-to-day operations and Sh26.1 billion for development projects.
The ministry plans to recruit 20,000 health workers, including 11,621 for primary health care and 8,379 for other hospitals, and to deploy 1,200 interns as part of its medium-term strategy.
The UHC Coordination Unit has also allocated Sh4 billion for paying staff recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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