The High Court has put a temporary stop to the Ministry of Health from hiring new officers for the Social Health Authority (SHA).
On Monday, Judge L.N. Mugambi made a decision to pause all interviews and hiring until a complaint from clinical officers is fully discussed and resolved.
This court decision comes at a time when there is much disagreement about the planned recruitment. This recruitment was supposed to help fill positions in the SHA, which is important for the government’s health care improvements.
The complaint was made by a group of clinical officers who say that the hiring process is unfair. They claim that they were left out and that the rules for choosing candidates were not clear.
Judge Mugambi’s decision means that the Ministry of Health cannot proceed with any hiring. This comes just days before the interviews were supposed to start.
“The orders are meant to keep everything as it is and to make sure fairness is maintained while we look into the issues raised by the clinical officers,” said the judge.
The clinical officers feel that their skills and contributions to healthcare are being ignored as other groups are favoured in the hiring process. They want the Ministry to change how they are hiring and to make the selection rules clearer.
Officials from the Ministry of Health have not yet responded to the court’s decision, but some sources suggest this halt could delay the SHA’s plans to operate.
The SHA was created to help improve how healthcare money is spent and how services are delivered. It needs skilled workers to achieve its goals.
The case will be discussed again in two weeks, when the court is expected to set a date for a full hearing. Until then, the hiring process is on hold, leaving everyone wondering what will happen next as they wait for the outcome of the clinical officers’ complaint.
