Kenyans are bracing for a significant disruption to health services as the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) has issued a seven-day strike notice, setting January 23, 2026, as the potential start date for a nationwide walkout.
This ultimatum comes after years of unfulfilled promises and what the union describes as the government’s continued failure to fully implement the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
According to KNUN Secretary General Seth Panyako, the return-to-work agreement signed on November 2, 2017, remains largely unfulfilled, leading to “significant disharmony in nurses’ benefits and remuneration across the public sector.”
The union asserts that this partial implementation constitutes a breach of a binding industrial relations settlement and undermines trust between the parties.
Among the key grievances driving the impending strike is the government’s failure to transition Universal Health Coverage (UHC) nurses to permanent and pensionable terms.
“The union wants the nurses employed on permanent and pensionable terms,” stated a report, highlighting the demand for job security and equitable employment conditions.
Furthermore, the non-implementation of the 2024/2025 Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) pay structures, which were meant to take effect from July 1, 2024, has also fueled the nurses’ discontent.
County governments have reportedly “failed/refused to implement these adjustments, resulting in unlawful underpayment and breach of statutory remuneration obligations.”
KNUN has also raised concerns over the Ministry of Health’s failure to remit budgetary allocations and grants to Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, which has crippled operations and strained service delivery.
Persistent staff shortages in public health facilities, leading to excessive workloads, burnout, and compromised patient safety, are also critical issues cited by the union.
The looming nationwide strike follows an ongoing industrial action by nurses, clinical officers, and laboratory technicians in Nairobi County over delayed salaries and poor pay. While Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration has declared this specific strike illegal, directing health workers to resume duty or face disciplinary action, the broader national strike notice indicates a deepening crisis in Kenya’s healthcare sector.
The union has warned that “failure to address these grievances and provide a clear roadmap for implementation within seven days will prompt the union to escalate the matter and engage the nurses for nationwide industrial action.”
This situation underscores the ongoing challenges in labor relations within Kenya’s public sector, particularly concerning essential services like healthcare, where the right to strike often clashes with the public’s right to health.
