NAIROBI, Kenya, May 3 – The government will have to spend Sh7.8 billion to absorb 8,571Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into permanent positions.
However, the state says that it only has Sh4.23 billion in the national budget.
In a letter directed to the Head of Public Service Commission Simon Rotich, the Ministry of Health’s Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthomi called for the absorption of the UHC workers into permanent terms of employment.
UHC staff, who are currently working in county hospitals on three-year contracts, were hired by the government.
Muthoni stressed that the current terms the staff work under are no longer tenable and contravene the employment laws.
Muthoni further cemented that the county boards should approve the absorption at the expiry of the one-year contract and determine the mode of treating the period served under contact by UHC staff with respect to payment of service guilty.
“The Multi-Agency taskforce on transition of UHC drawn from the National treasury, Public Service Commission, Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors met and abserved that it was no longer tenable to have the UHC staff continue serving at the present terms as it contravenes the employment laws,” she stated.
Furthermore, Muthoni stressed that the Treasury should provide an additional Sh3.5 billion to adequately cater for the transition.
“The National treasury make provision to bridge the gap in financing the transition of 3,509,349,961giveb that 4,238,452,404 is available in the national government budget for the financial year 2024/2025,” she stated.
