Nationwide Health Workers’ Strike Looms as Counties Defy UHC and Salary Directives

Nairobi Kenya,

Editorial News Story | Tuesday, September 30, 2025

In Summary 

Health unions have issued a seven-day ultimatum to county governments to implement the Public Service Commission’s directive on the transition of UHC, Global Fund, and COVID-19 staff to permanent and pensionable terms, as well as enforce the SRC-advised salary review. Failure to comply, they warned, will trigger a nationwide strike, with Kiambu County singled out for what unions termed as blatant disregard for workers’ rights and the ongoing 126-day doctors’ strike.

Kenya’s health sector is teetering on the brink of a nationwide crisis after health unions announced that all cadres of healthcare workers will down their tools within seven days unless counties honor the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) directives.

Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, union leaders accused county governments of deliberately frustrating healthcare workers by refusing to issue permanent and pensionable contracts to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Global Fund, and COVID-19 staff;despite President William Ruto and the Ministry of Health confirming that funds are available.

The unions noted that while the Ministry of Health has already implemented the SRC circular on revised salary structures, counties have failed to do so, leaving workers demoralized and some unpaid for months. They cited the tragic case of a Global Fund staff member who committed suicide in 2024 after going 14 months without pay, calling it a stark reminder of the human cost of county inaction.

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Kiambu County was placed under sharp criticism, with Governor Kimani Wamatangi accused of union-busting tactics, including halting all union deductions and threatening staff who refuse to quit their unions. The county is currently grappling with a 126-day doctors’ strike that has left residents without critical health services. Unions applauded the Ministry of Health for redeploying over 700 interns and staff away from Kiambu, calling it a necessary intervention.

Union leaders argued that counties are overstepping their role by rejecting national policy guidelines from constitutional commissions, despite their mandate being limited to implementation. They warned that if counties cannot manage healthcare effectively, the function should revert to the national government, as was the case with the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).

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In a show of unity, unions representing doctors, nurses, laboratory staff, nutritionists, clinical officers, and technologists pledged coordinated industrial action. They further endorsed calls for the establishment of a Health Service Commission to streamline human resource management across the country and safeguard healthcare delivery.

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“The counties cannot continue to violate workers’ rights while patients suffer,” the unions declared.

“If within seven days these directives are not implemented, the entire country will come to a standstill.”