By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
July 2, 2026 - Disgruntled Garissa County employees have decried salary delays and the failure by the county government to remit their Social Health Authority (SHA) contributions, leaving many unable to access medical services.
The workers are now appealing to the Ministry of Health to intervene, saying the non-remittance of SHA deductions has denied them healthcare despite the contributions being deducted from their salaries.
The staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said they have not been able to use the Social Health Authority (SHA) since November last year.
"This has made our lives difficult for us and our family members. We can't enjoy the government medical scheme like any other workers. The county has not been remitting our dues, and hence we can't be able to use it," said an official working at the health department.
In their strike notice to the authorities in May, healthcare workers mentioned SHA as a key concern, saying SHA contributions are deducted from members' salaries but are not remitted on time, rendering the cover inaccessible.
"The healthcare workers are providing health services they cannot access themselves," said the notice by various medical unions including the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO), Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), and other healthcare workers.
The county staff have called for immediate intervention from the health ministry, particularly calling upon Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to intervene.
"We ask Duale to investigate why the county does not care about the health of its staff and is not remitting SHA deductions," another officer said.
The county staff, who are yet to get their May salary, at the same time decried the unprecedented delays. They said this has greatly disrupted household budgets and made their lives unbearable.
They said these delays have caused them immense suffering as well as embarrassment from creditors, calling for the immediate release of their salaries.
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"This is a very sad situation. For me, I can't be able to pay debts. Unfortunately, the county government has not offered any explanation over the delays," said one of the officials.
Some of the staff noted that they are on go-slow to look for "alternative sources of livelihood" until the county government pays the staff their dues.
However, the county communications office acknowledged the issues, saying the current county administration is working to fix them for good, adding that the issues are not for Garissa County staff only.
"The problem is being addressed and will end once the integration of the county payroll to the national payroll system is complete, which allows SHA deductions to be remitted at source on time," read part of the statement.
As a mitigation measure, the county government claimed they have enrolled all their staff in a new health insurance by Britam, which is comprehensive and currently working all over the country.
The officials said that Governor Nathif Jama met with Health CS Aden Duale in Garissa during World Blood Donor Day, who promised to be working on SHA for the county staff and make it similar to that of national government staff.
On salary delays, the county officials blamed an ongoing integration of the payroll system, putting the fault on the treasury in Nairobi.