CS Cleopa Mailu says counties have doctors' money

Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu has asked county governments to pay doctors their salaries and allowances as they “have the money in their accounts”.

On Tuesday, Dr Mailu showed the Nation a payment schedule which indicates the Ministry of Health disbursed about Sh3.2 billion to county governments on May 12 to pay for the new allowances of the more than 27,000 nurses and doctors.

The allowances – part of the negotiated agreements that saw the nurses end their strike in December 2016 and doctors on March 14 – were drawn from a National Government Supplementary Budget and was to pay arrears for January to June.

“We needed a code from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission for the new allowances for the doctors so as to prepare the payroll. We got it and immediately released the money to the counties. It is in their accounts already,” Dr Mailu said on Tuesday at Afya House, Nairobi.

The Council of Governors (CoG) has, however, maintained that counties cannot pay the doctors allowances, which is part of the return-to-work formula agreed on in March, as they require Senate approval of about Sh1.5 billion.

The CoG said the ministry had not disbursed money to the county governments as the Senate is yet to resume its sessions to approve the allocations.

However, given that the supplementary budget of about Sh61 billion was approved in March, the ministry does not require Senate’s approval to disburse the cash as alleged by governors.

CASH OFFICE

The remittance schedule by Ministry of Health's cash office shows that nearly Sh1.49 billion has been remitted to pay the 3,962 doctors’ emergency call and risk allowances for six months with effect from January.

The money was meant to cushion counties for six months before the end of the 2016-2017 financial year.

Nairobi County got the lion’s share of Sh99 million to pay allowances of its 262 doctors while Kiambu got Sh92 million for its 245 doctors.

Tana River County received the lowest allocation of Sh4 million for allowances of its 13 doctors.

At the same time, the Health Ministry allocated counties Sh1.73 billion to cater for allowances of the more than 24,000 nurses.

Kiambu received about Sh91 million followed by Nakuru County at Sh81 million.

On Tuesday, Makueni county health executive Andrew Mulwa confirmed receiving Sh72 million, which he said would reflect in the payslips of nurses and doctors this month.

However, the CoG told the Nation last evening: “No county has confirmed having received the money. Council of Governors will update once we get the confirmations”.

NOT RECEIVED

The council had earlier issued a statement that county governments had not received any funds and asked Dr Mailu to “make public the schedule of disbursements for each county government, dates and actual amounts disbursed as he has communicated to the media”.

“[The] Council of Governors seeks to know from the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health, under what provisions of the law did the ministry purport to disburse the monies to the county governments without the Senate’s approval,” the CoG said.

However, Dr Mailu was categorical that doctors should be paid all withheld salaries, from December 2016 when the 100-day strike started.

“All counties were given the money for personal emoluments and they should pay all pending salaries because you cannot use the money to buy anything else. It is for staff remuneration. Counties, please play your bit,” Dr Mailu said.

An audit conducted by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union shows that doctors in 43 counties are yet to get their salaries and allowances.

CoG chairman Peter Munya in March said county governments would not pay doctors their salaries and allowances for the three months they were on strike.

Mr Munya said the doctors' accumulated salary of about Sh3.2 billion was used for “extra-ordinary measures during the strike to mitigate the effects of the doctors’ union [strike]”.