Some 1,800 employees of the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will have to apply afresh for jobs in the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA).

According to an advisory to the Ministry of Health by the Public Service Commission (PSC), the workers’ permanent and pensionable terms ended on Thursday.

The advisory dated November 18 and addressed to Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai states that those who would not qualify for positions in SHA would be retired or redeployed within the public service.

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The PSC has directed that all the NHIF employees be temporarily deployed to SHA for the next six months, beginning Friday, until the recruitment exercise at SHA is completed.

“They will be eligible and at liberty to apply and be considered for appointment by SHA in the said recruitment exercise on the terms and conditions of service at SHA,” the advisory reads in part.

It is still not clear what will be the staff size of the three funds established under the new healthcare scheme.

Staff interviewed by The Sunday Standard said communication has not been well-coordinated so far, leaving them with uncertainty.

However, the commission stated that those employees who have attained the retirement age or are due to retire within six months’ time, will only be deployed to SHA for the period remaining until they retire from the service.

“Their deployment will automatically lapse upon them attaining the mandatory retirement age.” The document states.

For staff who were on contract at NHIF, their contractual appointment at the defunct fund automatically ended on November 21, 2024.

However, PSC states that the staff on contract would be temporarily deployed to SHA on their current terms with effect from November 22, for a period of six months or until their contracts lapse whichever is earlier.

“They will be eligible and at liberty to apply for and be considered for appointment by SHA in the recruitment exercise undertaken by SGA on the terms and conditions of service at SHA,” the PSC wrote.

Those on secondment to NHIF will also join SHA on their current terms for six months.

The document states that the current NHIF chief executive officer’s employment contract automatically ended on November 21.

“Accordingly, he will be entitled to gratuity for the period he served at NHIF with effect from the date of the said appointment up to the date of automatic termination of that appointment by operation of the law,” the commission says.

The commission also provided guidelines in the recruitment of staff to SHA, stating that it should be in accordance with the Constitution, SHI ACT, the PSC ACT, PSC regulations, 2020, the Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service, 2016, and the SHA human resource management instruments.

The Kenya Kwanza government is keen on using the three funds to run the Universal Healthcare programme that promised affordable healthcare to Kenyans but has run into headwinds on its operationalisation.