UHC Healthcare Workers Stage Protest at Afya Centre Over Job Terms and Contract Disputes
Many of them have been working on renewable contracts and say they face job insecurity despite years of dedicated service.
Healthcare workers under the UHC programme protest outside the Ministry of Health in Nairobi over contract and employment concerns. Photo/KBC.
By Juliet Jerotich
Dozens of healthcare workers under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme staged a protest on Monday outside the Ministry of Health headquarters at Afya Centre in Nairobi, demanding urgent action over employment terms and contract renewals.
The demonstrators, who included nurses, public health officers, clinical officers, community health assistants, and laboratory technicians, blocked the entrance to the building and later marched toward the office of Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who had earlier promised to intervene in the matter.
The UHC staff, who have been serving in county-level health facilities for over five years, are protesting the failure by the government to transition them to permanent and pensionable terms.
Many of them have been working on renewable contracts and say they face job insecurity despite years of dedicated service.
“We are not asking for favors. We are asking for fairness. We have worked for over five years, and it is time the government absorbed us under permanent and pensionable terms,” said one protesting nurse.
The workers have raised concerns since February, citing that the uncertainty around their employment has disrupted services in county hospitals.
They argue that delays in resolving their issues have affected not only their livelihoods but also the quality of healthcare delivery across the counties.
According to the protestors, they have twice taken their grievances to Parliament, petitioning the Senate to intervene. Two months ago, Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale pledged to address their concerns within three weeks.
However, they say no concrete steps have been taken since.
“The promises from the government are not being honoured. We are tired of empty assurances. We need action now,” said a representative of the healthcare workers during the demonstration.
The uproar follows the July 1 transition, in which the UHC staff payroll was officially transferred from the national government to county governments.
The move, according to health workers, has created confusion over who is responsible for renewing contracts and regularizing employment terms.
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