UHC workers take demos to Afya House

Healthcare workers under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program countrywide on Monday demonstrated outside the Ministry of Health headquarters at Afya House in Nairobi.

Bearing the national flag and vuvuzelas, the workers marched towards Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale’s ministry offices and blocked the road to the gate, demanding an audience from the minister.

The healthcare workers have for months now complained about their employment terms, key among them being contract renewals, salary disparities, and transitioning of those with over five years of service to Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) terms.

The staff have been on strike since February, which has crippled the county-level hospital they are mostly stationed as nurses, clinical officers, public health officers, laboratory technicians, and community health assistants.

At the start of April, Duale pledged to address the long-standing concerns within the next three weeks.

The national government has since moved the UHC staff payroll to county governments from July 1.