Ministry admits payroll error, promises to pay affected health workers

By Michael Wesonga

ELDORET, KENYA: Health Principal Secretary Fred Sigor has revealed they were anomalies in the processing of health workers’ payrolls while transferring them from national to county governments. 

Mr. Sigor assured all health workers their allowances, which were not factored in January pay as a result of the technical hitch that only affected ministry of health staff, were safe and would be paid in full. 

The ministry’s accounting officer was committal that no changes had been effected on their salaries and it was a matter of time before the error was rectified. 

“Some counties realized the problem before hand and rectified it but others that had already paid their health workers are working on modalities to ensure they follow suit,” Sigor reassured. 

The PS affirmed that not even a single staff member would lose their extraneous, risk and or hardship allowance that have been the bone of contention between the ministry and its staff who have already warned of an industrial action over the issue. 

“Arrangements are being made by the relevant personnel to ensure that the same is paid in full because we are committed to ensure devolution takes shape as stipulated in the constitution,” he clarified while speaking in Eldoret. 

The latest occurrence is just but a series of some of the challenges that have plagued seconding of employees by national government to the county administration. 

The developments are setting a stage for a duel between counties and the public service considering that the health practitioners have all along been against working for the county governments. 

The duel saw a bitter exchange of words between the health workers’ unions and the county governments calling for the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s intervention.