National and County Governments Strengthen Coordination on Health Reforms
Nairobi, Kenya - - The Ministry of Health and county governments have reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated action on health financing, workforce management and continuity of healthcare services.
Cabinet Secretary for Health Hon. Aden Duale, EGH, participated in a Special Session of the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council chaired by Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki. The meeting brought together governors and other leaders to consider key matters affecting healthcare delivery across the country.
The Council reviewed the transition of 7,789 Universal Health Coverage workers to permanent and pensionable terms, in line with the directive of President William Ruto. The Government has allocated KSh 8.6 billion, including statutory employer contributions, to facilitate the transition.
CS Duale reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to protecting the welfare of the affected health workers while ensuring that administrative processes do not interrupt service delivery. Measures have been put in place to safeguard salary payments following challenges encountered in transferring the workers from the national government payroll to county government payrolls. Consultations are continuing towards a sustainable transition framework.
The Council also reviewed progress in the statutory remittance of Social Health Authority contributions and the settlement of legitimate healthcare provider claims. The overall claims settlement rate across the 47 counties stands at 78 per cent, with KSh 159.3 billion paid.
Progress has also been recorded in settling obligations inherited from the former National Health Insurance Fund. Reconciliation and sign-off have been completed for claims of KSh 10 million and below for 3,526 healthcare facilities. Of these, 3,058 facilities have received payments amounting to KSh 3.63 billion.
The proposed review of the statutory SHA remittance deadline from the ninth to the 25th of each month was also considered. The proposal remains under consideration and has not been formalised or gazetted.
Following the directive issued by President Ruto at the Kenya Health Summit session on 29 August, the Ministry of Health and the National Treasury are working to finalise a memorandum of understanding while addressing the associated legal, administrative and systems requirements.
The deliberations underscored the importance of sustained collaboration between the two levels of government in strengthening the health workforce, improving financial predictability, settling legitimate provider claims and ensuring uninterrupted access to quality healthcare under Taifa Care.