Health workers have threatened to begin a nationwide strike on Monday next week.
They accused the Council of Governors (CoG) of delaying the confirmation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff to permanent and pensionable employment despite Parliament allocating funds for the transition.
The Health Union Caucus said the industrial action will commence at midnight on Sunday if county governments fail to address their grievances, warning that continued delays have left thousands of health workers uncertain about their jobs, salaries and medical cover.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers National Chairman Peterson Wachira said the unions had issued a demand notice to the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors on June 15 over the delayed transition of UHC staff from contract terms to permanent and pensionable employment.
Wachira said Parliament had already allocated funds for the transition, while the Ministry of Health, the Public Service Commission and President William Ruto had played their part in facilitating the process. He said the unions had even backed the Council of Governors' proposal for the funds to be channelled through the equitable share instead of a conditional grant.
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"But what is disturbing and what we do not understand is that despite all the conditions being met as the Council of Governors wanted, they continue to refuse to give permanent and pensionable letters," he said.
He also added that they fail to understand how a process in terms of putting this money under the Division of Revenue Act should subject these staff to the kind of suffering they are going through.
According to the union, about 7,450 UHC workers have been left in limbo after their contracts expired on June 30, leaving many without medical insurance and uncertain about when they will receive their salaries.
"We are talking about 7,450 workers who, after June 30, when their contracts expired, cannot access medical insurance because they have no formal engagement with the counties they are working under. They also do not know how they are going to be paid this month and this uncertainty is causing a lot of anxiety," Wachira said.
He warned that unless the deadlock is resolved, health workers across the country will withdraw their services beginning July 20.
"The strike that is supposed to commence at midnight on Sunday, July 19, is inevitable because of the inaction, confusion and delay by the Council of Governors. We will not allow our work to continue being casualised," he said.
The Health Union Caucus is demanding the immediate absorption of UHC and Global Fund workers into permanent and pensionable employment through the issuance of appointment letters, the implementation of collective bargaining agreements by all county governments and the signing of recognition agreements to facilitate lawful industrial relations.
Reading the unions' joint statement, Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union National Treasurer Mohamed Ali said the Council of Governors had failed to act despite receiving the unions' demand notice last month.
"The continued silence and administrative inaction have left unions with no alternative but to proceed to industrial action to safeguard our members' rights and livelihoods," he said
Ali added that many health workers continue to work under confusion and uncertainty without medical cover for themselves and their dependants, saying the situation had become untenable.
Public Health Officers Union Secretary General Brown Ashira urged the government to convene talks before the strike begins.
"We remain available for constructive engagement, but there has been no response. We want the UHC workers to receive their permanent and pensionable letters immediately so that service delivery is not disrupted," he said.
Kenya Union of Clinical Officers Deputy Secretary General Austin Oduor maintained that the unions would not back down until UHC workers receive their appointment letters.
"We have waited for a long time. This is the minimum and we are going to begin the strike unless these letters are issued," he said, adding that the transition of UHC workers could no longer be delayed after Parliament allocated funds for the process.