Health Ministry Moves to Resolve UHC Job Concerns, Verification Begins in July
NAIROBI — The Ministry of Health has pledged to address long-standing employment concerns raised by Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers, but only after a nationwide verification exercise is completed.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed on Wednesday that funding has been secured to transition eligible staff to permanent and pensionable terms. However, he said this will follow a rigorous verification process led by both national and county governments in partnership with union officials.

“This is a clean-up process to protect public funds. Only staff who are verified and submit the required documentation will be considered for transition,” Duale said during a meeting held at Afya House in Nairobi.
The verification, scheduled for July, will include a joint headcount to reconcile payroll records between the national government and county administrations. Duale emphasized that some health workers were hired directly by counties, and those records must be properly audited before any transition can occur.
The outcome of the audit will shape the signing of the Return-to-Work Formula in August. That agreement will guide payroll harmonization, finalize the transition of staff to permanent employment, and eventually shift full payroll control to county governments.
The Cabinet Secretary urged union leaders to encourage members to cooperate fully with the verification teams. “We need all affected staff to participate and submit accurate information so that the process is fair and complete,” he said.
Also on the agenda was the implementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), review of new salary structures by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), and the integration of clinical officers and nurses into the Social Health Authority (SHA) system.
Duale also asked the unions to support the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill, 2025, which he described as a vital step toward improving service delivery across Kenya’s public health sector. He said the bill is designed to advance Vision 2030 goals and strengthen key government health priorities.
Present at the meeting were Kenya Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General Seth Panyako, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Secretary General George Gibore, Dr. Daniel Mwai from the Presidential Economic Transformation Council, Acting Digital Health Agency CEO Eng. Anthony Lenaiyara, and senior Ministry of Health officials.
The Ministry has not released the number of UHC workers expected to benefit, but officials say the verification is a critical step to ensure only legitimate staff are retained on government payrolls. The transition plan follows repeated calls from health workers for job security and salary standardization across counties.