Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has called on the government to absorb Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers into permanent positions and implement the 2017 Return to Work Agreement in full. Speaking in Migori County during the Nurses Week celebrations on Friday, Sifuna affirmed his continued commitment to advocating for the rights and welfare of healthcare professionals.
“Knowing the critical role they play, I will continue to champion their causes,” said Sifuna, emphasizing the essential contribution of nurses and health workers to Kenya’s healthcare system.
His remarks come just days after a peaceful protest held by UHC staff outside the Ministry of Health headquarters, Afya House, in Nairobi on May 13. The workers staged a sit-in demanding job security, payment of pending gratuities, and harmonised salaries. Many have served under contract for more than five years without being absorbed into permanent employment.
The health workers are also demanding that the government settle five years’ worth of gratuity payments, remit statutory deductions such as NSSF, and formally respond to their petitions before their payrolls are transferred to county governments on July 1, 2025. Protesters further decried alleged harassment and intimidation by county officials, citing delayed contract renewals and lack of job security.
“We have been patient for far too long,” said one health worker. “Some of us have worked diligently for years without the assurance of permanent employment. We deserve better.”
The frustrations of UHC staff are not new. In March, they held two demonstrations to Parliament seeking Senate intervention. In April, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale pledged to resolve their concerns within three weeks a promise the workers say has yet to materialize.
Additionally, Sifuna is urging the government to fully implement the 2017 Return to Work Agreement signed with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU). The agreement, meant to resolve a nationwide doctors’ strike, included salary reviews, improved working conditions, and the signing of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). It also called for the withdrawal of disciplinary actions against striking medics.
The Senator’s call underscores growing pressure on the government to address the longstanding grievances of health workers across the country.
