Kenyan doctors employed on contract at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) have been handed a reprieve after a commitment from the hospital to transition them into permanent and pensionable positions.
The commitment was made during a strategic engagement between KNH CEO Richard Lesiyampe and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) leadership, led by Secretary General Davji Atellah, on Monday, January 12.
The hospital said it will roll out the permanent jobs to workers at KNH by the end of the current 2025-26 financial year, after a collective agreement that the current contract-based employment was costly and could be challenging to sustain.
“We reached a shared understanding that contract-based employment is unsustainable and costly. Lesiyampe committed to a transition from contract terms to Permanent & Pensionable (PnP) employment by the end of the current financial year,” Atellah said in a statement on his social media pages.
The contract KNH will give out will include pension benefits and better employment stability.
KMPDU welcomed the development, noting it was a positive step towards fair and dignified working conditions for healthcare workers, and ensuring a maintained quality service delivery for Kenyans.
The transition is expected to benefit thousands of KNH staff, addressing long-standing concerns over precarious employment contracts and a lack of benefits.
The union and hospital management agreed to collaborate to ensure a smooth and timely implementation of the PnP transition.
Also at the meeting, the hospital management revealed that it was fast-tracking the rollout of the social health authority (SHA) insurance cover for all its staff, with a planned rollout of private insurance by July 2026.
The announcement followed a series of protests from health practitioners, including those hired under the universal health coverage (UHC) program, and those employed during the COVID-19 period, who have been demanding to be transitioned from contract-based positions to permanent jobs.
Towards the end of 2025, the Ministry of Health announced its plans to hire over 7000 UHC medics on PnP terms, and it is expected to be incorporated into the financial year 2026/27 budget, even as union leaders claimed the timeline for such hiring had lapsed without issuance of letters.
Once hired on permanent terms, the professional will transition from a stipend-based model to the full salary pay scale as defined by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). They will also be enrolled in government pension schemes to provide them with long-term financial stability.
The healthcare providers will also be eligible for various allowances, access to comprehensive medical cover, and an opportunity for career growth.
