The Uasin Gishu Public Service Board has been ordered to absorb health workers hired under the Economic Stimulus Program (ESP) whose contracts expired on August 20, 2014.
The Employment and Labor Relations Court also directs that the health staff be deemed as having been absorbed from the February 12, 2015 this being the date the resolution to absorb them was reached.
In his Judgement on Friday, Judge Stephen Radido said that the documents given to the court show that the Council of Governors had been recommended by the committee comprising of health workers, Ministry of Health, the transition authority, National Treasury and the Directorate of Public Service Management to issue a circular to 16 counties to absorb the staff.
"The court finds the Council of Governors as a statutory creature that had authority over the counties to guide them in adopting the absorption of the ESP health workers on the expiry of their contracts," said the judge.
On December 8, 2014, the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) had sued the Public Service Commission, the Ministry of Health and the Uasin Gishu County Public Service Board for unprocedural termination of service of the ESP health workers.