NAIROBI, Kenya, May 24— In a move aimed at ensuring continuity and stability in Kenya’s health financing system,
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has met the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) to address the transition of staff from the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
The meeting, attended by PSC Chairperson Antony Muchiri and SHA Chairperson Abdi Mohamed, focused on ironing out key operational and human resource issues during the shift to the new health insurance model under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework.
Following the deliberations, the Commission issued a directive allowing all former NHIF staff to continue serving under SHA for a further six months, or until SHA concludes its recruitment process.
According to Duale,this measure aims to avoid disruptions in health service delivery during the transition period.
Likewise, the PSC confirmed that staff who have legally requested redeployment to other government agencies will be reassigned immediately, with the redeployment process scheduled to begin next week.
“These resolutions are a critical step towards ensuring stability, legal compliance and uninterrupted service delivery,” said Duale.
“They reflect our commitment to a seamless transition to a more efficient and inclusive health insurance regime.”
The move comes on the back of growing unrest among healthcare workers drawn from various unions and associations.
Earlier, the workers issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government to address long-standing grievances or face a nationwide strike.
This escalation follows a 95-day strike by Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff, citing government neglect on issues of employment and welfare, and recent incidents of police brutality against health workers during peaceful protests in Nairobi.
In a joint statement under the Health Sector Caucus, union leaders decried the government’s failure to priorities critical matters such as salary harmonization per SRC guidelines, permanent absorption of UHC staff, and payment of service gratuity.
