Counties get Sh7.7b to absorb UHC staff

Council of Governors (CoG) Health Committee Chairperson, Governor Muthomi Njuki, The Council of Governors chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi & Health CS Aden Duale Governors demand Sh7.7billion through County' equitable share of revenue before transition of UHC workers to counties. [Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

The national government has assured counties of Sh7.7 billion to absorb workers under Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.

This emerged on Tuesday after a second extraordinary council meeting between Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and governors in Nairobi. The governors had demanded that national government sends them the money through Division of Revenue Allocation Act under the county’s equitable sharable revenue.

“On the transition, the issue that is pending is for us to transfer and for the counties to do permanent and pensionable. The money must be factored in and seen in the Division of Revenue Act (DORA). The next Division of Revenue Act is next year’s financial year,” Duale said.

“So we have agreed the money that National Treasury has provided, that is Sh7.7 billion, will be transferred and will be factored in and will feature in the Division of Revenue Bill and that is when the issue of our UHC finally will be completed but we want to assure them that the money will not go back. From this September, they will get their salaries based on Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) rates,” he added.

During the meeting, it was also agreed that the verification of the workers, which will be done by the Ministry and the Council of Governors (CoG) will be completed on Friday.

“Once we finish, we have agreed in the interest of further consultation, the committee of the Council of Governors and us from the MOH and the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) will have a meeting most probably next week Monday, so that we share with them,” said Duale.

The counties were to absorb the UHC workers by last month but that was not possible. “We have therefore resolved that the joint technical committee involved in the exercise immediately convene to validate and finalise the report,” said CoG chairman Ahmed Abdullahi.

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He added: “The report is to be ready by Friday and is to be co-signed by the Principal Secretary of Medical Services and the chief executive of the Council of Governors.

He said CoG and the ministry will resolve all pertinent issues concerning UHC contract. “A committee consisting of the chairs of health, legal, finance and human resources Committees of the Council of Governors will engage with the Ministry and the Union on modalities of paying the UHC workers at SRC rates for the remainder of their current contracts,” said Abdullahi, who is also Wajir County Governor.

He added: “We would want not to lose the money that’s already available to pay these workers at the SRC rates. So this committee, together with the Minister’s team, will sit down with the stakeholders who are the representatives of these UHC workers and we agree that their contract runs until the end, which is for most of them April or May 2026.”

However, Abdullahi said in this intervening period they will pay them at the SRC rates, using the money the ministry has before transitioning them to permanent and pensionable. “That is only if the Sh7.7 billion to maintain them on permanent and pensionable is included in the next Dora. That’s our only condition.”

On delays and reimbursements on claims from SHA, he said CoG and the Ministry of Health have agreed to roll out a Governor’s Dashboard, detailing payments of claims from SHA, Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) to community facilities. He said currently, counties are owed upwards of Sh6 billion in unpaid claims. “The meeting agreed that all claims should be paid by the 14th day of every month. We urge the SHA to expedite the payment of the pending claims to ensure continued health and service provision in public facilities,” he said.

Duale said most Level 5, 6, 2 and 3 hospitals will receive the money by September 14.

On ambulance and evacuation services, they said it should be done later. “While we appreciate that the conceptualisation of the proposed framework, the Council guides that the rollout of the same should be done at a later date. This will allow for consultation between the two levels of government on its operationalisation,” said Abdullahi.

He added: “We appreciate the role of SHA in this, but we will also record that ambulance services is a devolved function under Part 2 of the 4th Schedule of our Constitution. So, we want to give time for consultation so that we agree on the modalities of operating this under SHA.”

On career guidelines for health workers, which he said they were not consulted, he said they shall call upon the PSC to withdraw them.

“Further, we call upon the PSC to desist from approving cadre-based career progression guidelines, which have a huge financial impact on county governments without having the cost factored in,” he said.