Governors issue demands on UHC staff and e-procurement rollout
By William Muthama, September 1, 2025The Council of Governors has issued fresh demands over the rollout of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff and the implementation of the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system, following an Extraordinary Council Meeting convened to address service delivery challenges across counties.
Speaking through a statement on Monday, September 1, 2025, the governors expressed concern over recent developments by the Ministry of Health regarding UHC staff, describing them as a deliberate attempt to undermine county governments.
UHC staff absorption
They accused the Ministry of misrepresenting counties as obstructing the absorption of staff, a process that falls under devolved functions.
“The Ministry cannot alter the contracts of the UHC staff without the involvement of County Governments,” said Council Chairman H.E. FCPA Ahmed Abdullahi.
He added, “Counties are amenable to employing the verified UHC staff once resources are duly provided and previous obligations settled by the National Government.”
The council further demanded adequate funding before any deployment, including Kshs. 7.7 billion for salaries aligned with SRC-approved scales and Kshs. 9.4 billion for gratuity payments.
The governors acknowledged grievances from health workers’ unions and urged patience while counties work to resolve disputes.
“We call upon the Unions to exercise patience as the Counties resolve these issues and forestall any industrial action that could disrupt county health services,” Abdullahi said.
They also criticised the Public Service Commission (PSC) for approving career guidelines without consulting counties, warning against implementing cadre-based career progression without factoring costs into the equitable share of revenue.
e-Procurement rollout
The council highlighted the failure to implement the FY 2024/25 salary review for county workers due to inadequate allocation by the National Treasury, amounting to Ksh4.7 billion.
The Governors raised concerns over the national rollout of the e-GP system, describing it as hasty, inconsistent, and disruptive to service delivery.
Only three counties participated in the pilot phase, yet the system was enforced nationally without addressing identified gaps.
Governors said the lack of training has paralyzed procurement processes, especially in the health sector, and undermines the constitutional status of county governments.
“The roll-out was hasty, marred with inconsistencies, and has disrupted service delivery in Counties. We therefore call on the National Treasury to immediately withdraw the Circular”the governors said
They called on the National Treasury to withdraw the directive on e-GP implementation until proper consultation, legal alignment, and capacity-building are undertaken