Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has been forced to convene a crisis meeting with the Social Health Authority (SHA) board and management to address mounting disputes over its recruitment process.

The closed-door meeting was conducted for the better part of yesterday at Afya House.

It is alleged that the current recruitment is marred by a lack of inclusivity, ethical breaches, and nepotism, triggering unrest within the authority.

This has also generated a heated debate among Kenyans and experts who are demanding fairness in the recruitment process.

Duale has since promised to ensure there is adherence to the constitution and inclusivity in the exercise, for building trust in the authority meant to drive Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

However, sources did not agree on what transpired in the meeting, with efforts to get an official statement from top SHA officials and CS remaining unsuccessful.

Apart from recruitment, Duale is expected to address the issue of former defunct NHIF staff placed at the Public Service Commission (PSC) awaiting deployment.

It remains unclear when and where the staff shall be posted, including their pay.

The employees have not received salaries for November, December, and January.

“We have not been paid for three months, yet no clarity on when to expect payment. Leadership also remains silent on the matter. Also, now three months without placement,” said an employee.

Another employee said, “It has been chaotic with letters to report to public service, then public service declines to accept. So salaries have been erratic, and there is a court injunction which has been ignored”.

Those affected are 24 regional and line managers, who are yet to receive November, December, and January pay.

An additional 69 branch managers who were serving under the defunct NHIF have also lost their jobs, following the recruitment of 47 county operation managers under the new establishment at SHA.

Branch managers, regional managers, and a section of line managers were issued letters in December, instructing them that SHA will not pay their January salaries.

“I lost my job. And you know, they kept saying no one will lose their jobs. However, as it stands, people don’t have jobs, they cannot meet their obligations,” said one of the line managers deployed to PSC.

According to deployment letters issued by Dr Mwangangi, the employees were expected to opt for PSC deployment or early retirement.

In one of the regret letters issued to an employee, the authority directed those who were dismissed from SHA to pick the options provided under PSC.

“You are hereby requested to formally communicate your choice regarding the two options…your deployment records will be reverted to the PSC for administrative action and completion of your chosen option, particularly if you opt to be redeployed within Public Service (Option b),”

Deployment terms according to the letter shall be on a personal holder basis as per the Labour Relations Court directive.

Salaries were to be reverted to the institution individuals are deployed to, with effect from November 1, 2025.

Insiders noted that the majority of staff are opting for retirement, but the exit package is a major concern, as there is no communication from the authority. The staff are therefore waiting for the court ruling in February.

“Several people want to retire, but there is no exit package, so they are waiting for the court to pave the way forward,” added the employee.

The employee added, “People were let go mid-month without salaries, and now three months down the line, no placement, no salaries. This is causing anguish.”

Ironically, at least 170 employees at the PSC are earning monthly salaries, despite not performing any roles.

“We are still at home because posting has not been done. It is the role of PSC to deploy us in respective entities, but this is yet to happen,” said the source.

She added, “Though we are not working, we are receiving payment since we are on payroll.”

“We get paid. It is not our fault not work. PSC is yet to deploy us, nor assign us work to deliver,” said an insider, among the 170 employees.

The employees in the Job Groups HF 5, HF6, HF7, and HF8 were issued with deployment letters by the SHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Mercy Mwangangi, in June last year.

But since then, they have yet to be given placements and roles.

“We are being paid because we are still on payroll, but those not being paid aren’t paid and were removed from payroll,” added the source.

There are multiple court cases concerning staff employment at the establishment and those who served at the defunct NHIF.

The cases are at the Apex, and Labour and Environment courts, with the Apex court handling PSC appeal against staff to be employed by SHA and exit package, whereas that at Labour is removal of staff from payroll and failure to give computation of exit package.

As recruitment wrangles rock the establishment, a number of positions have since been filled, including top management and county operations managers.

On Friday last week, respective positions for senior staff working in counties were shortlisted, with interviews slotted in February.

But insiders maintain that the shortlisting and interviews are just a formality.