CS Duale Promises Striking UHC Staff Permanent, Pensionable Employment
Adan Duale, the newly appointed Health Cabinet Secretary, has committed to transitioning Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers who have served for more than five years to Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) terms.
Speaking after taking over from CS Deborah Barasa on Tuesday, April 1, Duale claimed that he will address all of their complaints and expectations within the next three weeks.
Duale was speaking to hundreds of UHC employees who had gathered outside Afya House after weeks of strikes over years of unfulfilled promises.
He also committed to settling gratuities for all deserving workers within the same time frame.
During the official handover ceremony to the @MOH_Kenya, I assured Kenyans of our continued and collective commitment to creating an efficient, effective and affordable healthcare system.
— Hon. Aden Duale, EGH (@HonAdenDuale) April 1, 2025
Six months into @TaifaCare, the Ministry remains steadfast in delivering the promise ofโฆ pic.twitter.com/vJ0nOfWbWi
Furthermore, he vowed fairness and equity in resolving healthcare concerns and implementing consultative solutions, with a focus on the well-being of healthcare workers.
He also restated his commitment to improving Kenya’s healthcare system and cracking down on unqualified practitioners.
Since mid-February, UHC employees have held frequent protests asking that commitments made to them when they were employed be kept.
They were engaged as part of a pilot plan supported by the national government to address the country’s healthcare staff deficit, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although hired on contractual terms, they were promised a shift to PnP terms, which has yet to be fulfilled.
In fact, several UHC employees’ salaries were cut in half after their first three-year contract expired.
A meeting with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Monday, March 17, was canceled due to a disagreement about the terms issued.
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฌ
— Ministry of Health (@MOH_Kenya) April 1, 2025
Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale has pledged to address long-standing employment concerns affecting healthcare workers under theโฆ pic.twitter.com/Uao163H9Hx
It brought together representatives from the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), KMPDU, and the United Kingdom Community Servers (UKCS).
The gathering was supposed to address the issue of the 8,571 UHC employees in limbo.
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“The failed meeting between the Ministry of Health, CS Deborah Barasa, KNUN, KUCO, KMPDU, UKCS, and DP Kindiki is an indicator of a failed system,” the UHC workers announced after the meeting.
“It shows the helplessness and lack of seriousness toward solving our 5-year-old UHC issues.”
They welcomed Duale to the ministry with a strike notice on Tuesday, April 1, just a week after he was appointed to his new position.
It was carried out successfully by health professionals who had camped outside the ministry headquarters.
CS Duale Promises Striking UHC Staff Permanent, Pensionable Employment
