NAIROBI, Kenya – A coalition of health sector unions has given county governments 21 days to absorb all Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into permanent and pensionable terms, warning of nationwide industrial action if their demands are not met by the end of September.
In a joint statement issued after a strategic meeting on September 8, the unions accused counties of perpetuating “systemic injustice, impunity, and blatant constitutional violations” through exploitative contracts.
“Healthcare workers cannot and will not tolerate continued mistreatment. Unless immediate corrective action is taken, unrest in the health sector will escalate,” the statement read.
The unions said integrating UHC contract workers into county payrolls is long overdue and should be treated as a national priority.
The statement was signed by the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO), Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Kenya Environment Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHU), Kenya National Union of Nutritionists and Dietitians (KUNAD), Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists (KNUPT), and the Kenya Health Professional Society (KHPS).
They demanded that counties regularise employment contracts to meet statutory and constitutional standards, resume union dues deductions, and fast-track Recognition Agreements and Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) — particularly in Kiambu, Kirinyaga, and Tharaka Nithi counties.
The unions also rejected efforts to decentralise CBA negotiations, insisting that agreements must be handled centrally to align with national labour standards.
“Relevant agencies must ensure counties pay salaries on time and remit all lawful deductions without delay,” they added.
The union leaders further urged Parliament to investigate what they termed systemic mistreatment of healthcare workers by county governments and to introduce lasting legislative reforms.
Their ultimatum comes in the wake of a recent Council of Governors (CoG) statement on UHC worker absorption and Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs) — a declaration the unions dismissed as inadequate.
