Nurses hired under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
program during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 took to the streets in Kitale,
demanding that the Ministry of Health honor its promise of converting their
contract-based employment to permanent and pensionable terms.
The nurses, who were part of the 9,000 healthcare workers
hired by the national government to help boost healthcare services during the
height of the pandemic, also expressed concerns over unequal treatment and
exclusion from essential allowances.
The demonstration saw dozens of nurses from the North Rift
counties of Trans Nzoia, Nandi, west Pokot, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin
Gishu who were crucial in Kenya's fight against the pandemic, gather to deliver
petitions to the county government of Trans-Nzoia.
The nurses voiced frustration over being employed on
short-term contracts for nearly five years, a situation that has resulted in
significant disparities in pay and benefits compared to their colleagues with
permanent positions.
“We want the government to honor its promise of converting
us to permanent and pensionable terms so that we can fully enjoy the
remuneration benefits that we are supposed to receive, just like our
colleagues,” said Moses Samburuma, one of the protesting nurses.
They said they had been unfairly left out of critical
allowances such as service, commuter, health risk, and uniform allowances,
despite working on the frontlines during the pandemic.
They also pointed to a perceived discrimination within the
Ministry of Health, citing the promotion of 108 colleagues stationed in
national health facilities to permanent positions, while the rest of the UHC
workers remain uncertain about their future.
“The country was at a critical stage when our services were
enlisted to bolster the war against the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed some
of our colleagues yet we are still struggling to make ends meet because of
unstable job terms that prevent us from properly planning for our futures ,”
said Patrick Sitati, another nurse involved in the protest.
The nurses called on the Council of Governors to advocate
for their interests, arguing that county governments, which oversee devolved
health services and are grappling with nurse shortages, would benefit from
absorbing them into permanent positions, easing staffing gaps while stabilizing
their own employment status.
“Some of the healthcare workers have been absorbed, while
others are still waiting for confirmation of their long-term employment status,
casting doubt over the fairness and transparency of the selection process,”
said Joylene Maiyo.
The Ministry of Health has yet to issue an official
statement regarding the nurses' concerns, but the ongoing demonstrations
highlight the growing frustration among healthcare workers in Kenya who saved
lives during the pandemic.