Kajiado health promoters protest unpaid stipends

Community Health Promoters in Kenya’s Kajiado County protested at Bisil Hospital on May 22 over stipends they said have gone unpaid since 2023. The workers said the delays had caused financial strain and disrupted family life even as they continued maternal health sensitisation, immunisation follow-ups, disease surveillance and household health education. The protest was reported by The Standard on Friday. The dispute comes against a wider backdrop of uneven Community Health Promoters payments across Kenya, where national and county governments share responsibility for the stipend system. ### Why were Kajiado promoters protesting at Bisil Hospital? Kajiado Community Health Promoters said at Bisil Hospital that unpaid stipends dating back to 2023 had left them in hardship and feeling neglected by the county government. The Standard reported that the workers accused county authorities of failing to support people who remain central to grassroots healthcare delivery. (standardmedia.co.ke) One promoter told the newspaper that families were questioning why they continued to perform demanding public health duties without pay. The report said several female promoters described tension at home as the delays stretched on. ### What work do these promoters say they are still doing? Community Health Promoters said they had continued offering maternal health sensitisation, immunisation follow-ups, disease surveillance and household health education despite the arrears. (standardmedia.co.ke) The Standard said the workers argued that they form the backbone of preventive and primary healthcare services in rural areas. The national CHP framework describes the workers as frontline providers drawn from the communities they serve. A Standard report on the programme said they help with health education, preventive practices, referrals and household-level monitoring of sanitation and access to safe water. ### How is the stipend system supposed to work? (standardmedia.co.ke) Kenya’s set CHP operating structure provides for a Sh5,000 monthly stipend, with the national government and county governments each paying Sh2,500. Principal Secretary for Public Health Mary Muthoni acknowledged payment delays in an earlier interview with The Standard, which reported that the Treasury had released Sh600 million to settle outstanding stipends and cover January payments. (standardmedia.co.ke) The government also launched a Sh3 billion stipend payment programme for Community Health Promoters on February 16, 2024, according to another Standard report. That report said the programme was part of a broader push to formalise and equip the cadre, including smartphones and training. ### Is Kajiado an isolated case? (standardmedia.co.ke) At least 20 counties were not paying Community Health Promoters as of a May 21, 2024 parliamentary health committee appearance by Mary Muthoni, according to The Standard. Muthoni told the committee that only 27 counties were paying at the time, and lawmakers questioned delays in implementing the programme. (standardmedia.co.ke) The same report said payments are a shared responsibility between national and county governments, a structure that has fed disputes over who is responsible when arrears build up. Inference from those reports suggests Kajiado’s dispute fits a broader pattern of delayed rollout and payment gaps rather than a stand-alone breakdown. (standardmedia.co.ke) ### What are the promoters demanding now? Kajiado promoters said they want the county government and health authorities to settle all pending dues without further delay. The Standard reported that they warned continued non-payment could demoralise workers and hurt service delivery at the grassroots level. (standardmedia.co.ke) June 26 is the next dated event mentioned in related regional health posts, with AfChix saying registration opens in Nairobi for its Tech Women Summit. That event is separate from the Kajiado protest, but it was cited in the same cluster of regional health updates circulating on May 22. (standardmedia.co.ke)