Governors accuse gov't of backing out of UHC workers employment deal

The Council of Governors is insisting that the Ksh.8 billion that is to be used for that purpose be included in the shareable revenue to counties as opposed to being given as a conditional Grant. 

Speaking when he appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, Council of Governors Chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi said the National Government went back on their word of including the monies in the shareable revenue.  

"The agreement that we had is to move these people in permanent and pensionable terms, that allocation moves to an equitable share, so that it's there in perpetuity, and we had agreed even in the summit," he told the committee. 

Abdullahi raised concerns that since the national government has not been remitting money in the conditional grant, counties would be dependent on them. 

"Counties don't want to be tied up in an arrangement where they are not sure if the money will come or not, because what is appropriated is not what is disbursed, and there is no mechanism to follow up," he noted.

"If they give us money for one year, then let them work for one year." 

However, the response did not sit well with the Senators, who accused the COG of mistreating its workers. 

"What the Governor is struggling to explain simply brings us to the conclusion that we are treating our workers very casually," Committee Chair Moses Kajwang stated. 

"We have added you Ksh.13 billion in shareable revenue, why can't you use that money and onboard the UHC workers on permanent and pensionable?" posed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. 

The UHC workers were employed in 2019 during COVID-19 on contract, and despite various promises to be employed on PnP, they have remained on contract. 

The workers have been holding demonstrations across the country to demand that counties employ them on permanent and pensionable contracts.