Doctors questioned the Council of Governors(COG) for going against the national government directive on permanent and pensionable contracts.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, February 14, the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) aired their grievances after the governors extended the Universal health coverage (UHC) workers' contracts.
According to the officials, it was surprising that the county bosses had decided to extend the contract instead of employing more workers.
Led by KUCO Chairman Peter Wachira, the officials lamented that the government had gone against their expectations of employing 20,000 healthcare workers within the first 100 days.
“What we are hearing is that the 8,550 health workers put under UHC contract - and whom the government had indicated would put on permanent and pensionable terms - will now have the same contracts extended for three years,” Wachira noted.
KUCO officials further highlighted the exploitative nature of the contracts indicating that while working under the UHC contracts, their employers take advantage of them since the contracts are irregular and illegal.
“The employers put health workers on these contracts because they don't put them on medical cover, pay them half the salary and they can't go to school for training and don't even allow them to join unions,” the officials added.
KUCO General Secretary and Chief Executive George Gibore took the opportunity to urge President William Ruto's government to intervene and advise the governors on going against their rights.
“As health unions, we wish to implore the national government to embrace and implement the principle of equality and prohibition against discrimination of workers according to the constitution and international charters.
We demand an immediate conversion of the contract to the permanent and pensionable establishment of UHC staff,” Gibore highlighted through a statement from the union.
On December 5, 2022, COG asked the national government to provide funds to allow counties to renew contracts for health workers employed under the UHC programme.
Council chairperson and Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru stated that the terms of the contracts were to be based on the current market rate salaries.
The statement by the governors came in the wake of a pronouncement by Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Wafula that the workers were going to be retained on a permanent basis.
