By Lenah Bosibori
Two leading health sector unions have protested the hurried establishment of the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI), and accused the Ministry of Health of sidelining critical stakeholders and a disregard of constitutional provisions.
In a joint press conference in Nairobi, the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU) and the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO) raised concerns over the formation of the institute without proper consultation, calling it “a professional and procedural rush.”
“We are not opposing the establishment of the KNPHI. However, the manner in which it is being hurriedly formed without stakeholder engagement is unacceptable,” said Brown Ashira, National Secretary General of KEHPHPU.
The unions cited violations of several laws including Articles 10, 118, and 196 of the Constitution of Kenya, the Employment Act, the Public Service Commission Act, and the Labour Relations Act.
They claim the directive issued on April 22, 2025, by Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale, authorizing the transition of select public health and laboratory functions to the KNPHI, lacked a clear legal framework and ignored concerns over staff security, benefits, and human resource structures.
Key Demands
Reading the list of demands, Pius Nyakundi, National Secretary General of KNUMLO, insisted that the leadership of the new institute must be representative of implementing cadres, public health officers and medical laboratory officers.
“The Director General must either be a registered public health officer or a medical laboratory officer with extensive field experience,” Nyakundi said.
They also demanded:
- Stakeholder validation of all human resource instruments before operationalization.
- Advertisement and recruitment of KNPHI officers through an open process, rather than transferring existing staff without proper consultation.
- Adequate budgeting for the institute through Parliament.
- Leadership of critical divisions by relevant professionals.
The unions warned that failure to address their concerns within seven days would result in mass industrial action involving public health and laboratory officers across the country, alongside legal action.
Concerns Over Public Health Systems
Nicholas Odipo, National Chairperson of KNUMLO, warned that transferring entire divisions to KNPHI without proper structures risks destabilizing disease surveillance and critical laboratory services, including those for HIV, TB, and malaria.
“National laboratories serve as reference points for the entire country. Health is devolved, but policy formulation remains with the Ministry of Health. A parasternal body cannot handle national health policies,” Odipo said.
He criticized senior health officials, specifically Director General Patrick Amoth, accusing him of misadvising the government and allowing non-licensed individuals to spearhead critical health department transitions.
“We want the Cabinet Secretary to listen to us. He has been misadvised,” Odipo emphasized, calling for a tripartite negotiation to “nurture” KNPHI appropriately.
Public Outcry
In an emotional address, union leaders warned of the consequences of sidelining public health officers and lab professionals, stressing that public health interventions such as disease surveillance at points of entry would suffer.
“Who will screen travelers? Who will monitor disease outbreaks if the structures collapse?” Ashira posed.
The unions accused the Ministry of turning a critical national project into a “saga” and urged the government to “correct this before it is too late.”