By Kelly Were
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, together with Public Service Commission (PSC) CEO Anthony Muchiri and officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA), held a key meeting on Friday, May 23, to resolve the employment status of staff from the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
During the session, CS Duale announced that all former NHIF employees will remain under SHA for an additional six months or until SHA completes its recruitment process—whichever comes first.
“I chaired a consultative session with PSC Chair Amb. Anthony Muchiri and SHA Chair Dr. Abdi Mohamed to address the staff transition from the dissolved NHIF,” said Duale. “The PSC issued a clear directive that all former NHIF staff will continue working under SHA until the authority finishes recruiting or until six months pass.”
In addition, Duale revealed that employees who have formally requested transfers to other government bodies will be reassigned without delay, with redeployment beginning the following week.
“The redeployment of staff who legally requested transfers to other public institutions will begin next week,” he added.
This development brings clarity to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding NHIF staff, many of whom have been pushing for integration into SHA since the shift to the new health system began. However, it remains unclear whether these workers will eventually secure permanent roles, especially after SHA’s earlier decision to extend their contracts by six months.
In November 2024, former SHA CEO Robert Ingasira had similarly stated that NHIF employees would be retained temporarily as SHA organized its internal structure.
The decision followed mounting anxiety among the 1,700 NHIF workers concerned about their job security during the shift to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework. Many expressed concerns that their welfare was being overlooked during the health system overhaul.
Although SHA initially committed to absorbing the NHIF workforce, recent changes indicate that only a fraction will be retained, with strict selection criteria now in place.
Despite these uncertainties, Duale emphasized that the latest decision represents a firm move toward maintaining operational stability, legal order, and seamless health service delivery as Kenya transitions to the new UHC model.
