Health unions accuse Gov't of betraying UHC workers

Health unions have accused the Ministry of Health of betraying thousands of workers hired to implement Universal Health Coverage, citing broken promises, contract frustrations, and violent crackdowns on peaceful protests.

Speaking under the Health Sector Caucus, union leaders on Wednesday condemned what they termed the ministry’s abandonment of 8,551 health workers recruited in 2020 to support the UHC rollout.

The workers, they said, have remained on short-term contracts with no job security despite multiple government assurances of permanent employment.

"Twice the government has promised to convert these workers to permanent and pensionable, and twice it has broken that promise," said Peterson Wachira, chairperson of the Health Sector Caucus and the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers.

The unions blamed the Ministry of Health for offloading UHC staff to county governments without settling key obligations such as gratuity payments, confirmation of contracts, and transition to permanent terms.

"They cannot be tossed between the Ministry of Health, Council of Governors and Parliament endlessly. It is the ministry that recruited and pays them, it must take responsibility," Wachira said.

He warned that the ongoing neglect is not only unfair to workers but also weakens the quality of healthcare, as contract staff are unable to pursue further training and lack stability in their roles.

The unions also expressed disappointment in Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who they say failed to fulfill his promises after raising hopes upon his appointment.

"When Duale came in, we believed he would prioritise our needs," said Pius Nyakundi, Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers.

"But he has not kept his word and is now following the same path as his predecessors."

Nyakundi also dismissed Duale’s suggestion that unions should lobby Parliament for more funding, insisting that budgeting is the responsibility of the ministry and the Treasury.

"It is not the job of unions to push Parliament for allocations. That is the role of the ministry and Treasury," he said.

Another major concern raised was the plight of 97 Global Fund staff, mostly clinical and laboratory officers, who have not received salaries for 11 months despite earlier promises of absorption.

"One, a lady from Nyeri, took her life due to stress. This is a matter of life and death," Wachira said.

The unions called the situation discriminatory, noting that health workers who served under the national government were absorbed and are receiving regular pay, while those deployed to counties have been left behind.

They further condemned the use of force by police during Tuesday’s peaceful protests, saying at least four protesters were injured, including a female health worker hit by a teargas canister.

"The police brutality was unjustified. These are peaceful healthcare workers exercising their right to picket under Article 37. Why respond with violence?" said Odipo Nicholas, chair of the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers.