Governors fault health ministry over UHC and procurement rollout
The CoG chair further said gratuity payments amounting to Sh9.4 billion for contract staff must be cleared first.
Governors have raised fresh concerns over the rollout of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and electronic procurement, accusing the Ministry of Health of undermining devolution and threatening the stability of county services.
Speaking on Monday after an Extraordinary Council of Governors meeting, CoG chair Ahmed Abdullahi said counties will not be pressured into absorbing UHC staff without adequate resources. He stressed that before any transfer takes place, the Ministry must release funds and settle pending obligations.
“The Ministry continues to paint a public picture that County Governments are derailing the process of absorbing the UHC staff. County Governments cannot be back-peddling with the Ministry over a devolved function,” Ahmed said.
He made it clear that counties would only accept UHC staff if the equitable share of revenue is increased to cover additional costs. According to him, the transition must be preceded by Sh7.7 billion in allocations from the Ministry, based on SRC-approved salary scales. He added that the ongoing verification of UHC staff must be jointly validated, with a report shared before the handover.
The CoG chair further said gratuity payments amounting to Sh9.4 billion for contract staff must be cleared first. Counties, he noted, are ready to employ verified UHC staff once resources are provided and obligations settled.
On labour relations, Ahmed admitted there were grievances raised by health workers’ unions but appealed for calm to prevent strikes.
“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,” he said. He also called on the national government to provide funds to implement return-to-work agreements.
Governors also criticised the Public Service Commission (PSC) for issuing career guidelines for health workers without consultations. They said the directives come with heavy financial implications.
“We shall be calling upon the PSC to discuss the Career Guidelines. We urge the Commission to desist from approving cadre-based career progression guidelines without factoring the cost of implementation into the equitable share of revenue to the County Governments,” Ahmed warned.
Ahmed also addressed salary reviews, noting that while the National Government implemented pay increases for FY 2024/25, county staff were excluded due to lack of funds. He said counties require Sh4.77 billion to implement the reviews and called for more equitable share allocations to meet the legal requirement.
The governors further faulted the mandatory rollout of the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system, terming it rushed and disruptive.
“Only three Counties participated in the pilot, yet the system was enforced nationally before addressing the gaps identified,” Ahmed said. He added that insufficient sensitisation and training had paralysed procurement, especially in critical sectors like health.
