Ministry of Health assures UHC staff of permanent, pensionable transition
The Ministry of Health has dismissed claims of contradictions in its handling of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workforce.
In a statement released on Thursday, August 28, 2025, the Ministry clarified that the Cabinet Secretary’s statement pertained to the conversion of UHC workers from temporary contracts to permanent and pensionable (PnP) terms.
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At the same time, a separate letter from the Principal Secretary to the Council of Governors’ CEO focused on verifying which staff were on duty and which were not, as part of a routine payroll cleansing exercise.
“This exercise is both routine and legally required as part of the accounting officer’s responsibility. It was agreed collectively during my meeting with all County Executive Committee Members (CECs) for Health on 21st August 2025,” the Ministry stated.
It emphasised that the two communications, the CS’s statement and the PS’s letter, do not contradict each other but rather complement one another as part of a coordinated reform agenda aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in managing the UHC workforce.
The Ministry further assured that all legitimate UHC staff currently on duty will transition to permanent and pensionable terms effective September 2025.
“We remain committed to strengthening the health workforce as a key delivery pillar of Taifa Care while safeguarding public resources through accountability and transparency,” the statement added.
Audit
This comes a few months after the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors agreed to carry out a joint audit of all Community Health Promoters under the Universal Health Coverage programme to clean up workforce records and pave the way for long-term job stability.
This was among the key resolutions from a high-level consultative meeting held on June 12, 2025, between Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi, and CoG Health Committee Chair Muthomi Njuki.
The talks tackled critical health issues, including the UHC workforce, the National Equipment Support Programme, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, and conditional health grants.
Until current contracts end and gratuities are fully paid, the Health Ministry will continue managing the payroll for UHC workers, easing recent tensions over payment responsibilities.
The ministry further committed to allocating funds in the upcoming financial year for the recruitment of UHC workers on permanent and pensionable terms.
“Both parties resolved to conduct a joint audit of the Community Health Promoters’ workforce under the Universal Health Coverage programme,” the statement read.
