CoG Health Committee Chair, Governor Muthomi Njuki speaking at a Past function. Photo Facebook Courtesy. 
By Andrew Mbuva
The Council of Governors (CoG) has opposed a move by the Ministry of Health to transfer Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff to county governments without first allocating the required financial resources.
In a statement released today, the CoG described the Ministry’s announcement on staff absorption as “premature and untimely,” noting that it contradicts earlier agreements between the two levels of government.
According to the CoG, the transfer of UHC personnel can only happen once counties are assured of adequate funding to cater for salaries in line with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) guidelines.
“It was agreed that the Ministry of Health would allocate adequate resources as per the approved SRC salary scale before the payroll transfer to county governments. Since the contracts are still valid, the decision to transfer the staff at this time is untimely,” said CoG Health Committee Chair, Governor Muthomi Njuki.
The governors also faulted the Ministry for attempting to push through the transfer before completing the ongoing staff verification exercise. They noted that the final report of the exercise had not been validated or officially shared.
Another point of contention is the issue of gratuity payments. The CoG insists that all contractual staff are entitled to gratuity, which must be settled by the Ministry of Health prior to their transition to county governments.
“The Council reiterates its earlier commitment to absorb verified UHC staff and facilitate their salaries in line with the SRC salary scales once resources are disbursed and gratuity obligations honoured,” the statement added.
The CoG warned that without proper allocation of funds, the absorption of UHC staff will remain “unattainable.”
Citing the Constitution, the governors reminded the Ministry of Health that intergovernmental relations should be based on consultation rather than directives.
Even as it raised concerns, the CoG reaffirmed its commitment to working with the national government to resolve all outstanding issues affecting UHC staff in the interest of strengthening health service delivery across the counties.
