Nurses threaten nationwide strike over unmet demands
He noted that the strike will affect all government health facilities except Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, where concerns are already being handled. However, he warned that even MTRH nurses may join the strike if it goes beyond a week.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives has issued a 26-working-day strike notice to the government, warning of a nationwide nurses’ walkout starting July 7 if their grievances are not addressed.
The union’s secretary general, Seth Panyako, speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, accused both the national and county governments of ignoring critical issues that have persisted for years, saying the situation had reached a breaking point.
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“We want to tell the government that we are open to dialogue. We have been patient since this administration took office and have never downed our tools, but enough is enough,” said Panyako.
He noted that the strike will affect all government health facilities except Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, where concerns are already being handled. However, he warned that even MTRH nurses may join the strike if it goes beyond a week.
“They cannot serve the entire country alone,” he added.
The union’s list of unresolved demands includes the failure to convert nurses employed under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme from contract to permanent and pensionable terms, non-implementation of the 2024 salary structure advised by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, and delays by counties in concluding Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Other concerns are the failure to implement a Return-to-Work Formula signed in 2017 and the lack of budgetary transfers to key health institutions such as Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Panyako said the strike notice had been sent to several institutions, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Service, the Public Service Commission, Kenyatta National Hospital, and the Social Health Authority.
He insisted the union still prefers engagement over confrontation but said nurses are tired of broken promises. “The ball is in the government’s court,” he said.
The looming strike follows another labour crisis already affecting the health sector, with ongoing doctors' strikes reported in Kiambu, Marsabit and Kakamega counties.
The situation is putting immense pressure on public healthcare facilities, especially those serving pregnant women, children, and patients with chronic illnesses.
In April, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale pledged to address employment issues for healthcare workers under UHC within three weeks.
But on May 17, Duale admitted the ministry only has Sh3.5 billion available, which is not enough to hire nurses on permanent terms. Earlier in May, Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma
Oluga and Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti had announced that the payroll for UHC staff would be shifted to counties starting July 1, 2025.
Nurses hired under UHC in May 2020 have long decried a lack of allowances, unpaid gratuities, stalled promotions, and unequal treatment.
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Despite repeated government pledges, Panyako said little has changed. The union has now drawn a clear line, giving the government a final chance to act before healthcare services come to a standstill.
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