The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has issued a 21-day strike notice countrywide, accusing the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Council of Governors (COG) of failing to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reached in 2024, despite months of negotiations.
Peterson Wachira, National Chair of KUCO, speaking during a special delegates conference at Machakos University on Friday, said that if the impasse is not resolved within 21 days, clinical officers in all 47 counties, referral hospitals, and national government facilities will down their tools.
“It is never our desire to disrupt services or subject patients to suffering, but our rights must be respected,” he emphasised.
He said the dispute traces back to April–July 2024, when clinical officers staged a historic 100-day strike, which ended after the Labour Relations Court mediated a Return-to-Work Formula requiring the Ministry of Health and county governments to finalise the CBA by October 2024, as the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had confirmed that funds were available.
“We concluded the CBA together with the Ministry of Health, aligned it with SRC’s approval, and even printed it awaiting signatures,” Wachira said, “but since September we have been waiting with no explanation. It is now clear that the Ministry and the Council of Governors are not keen on signing the agreement,” he lamented.
KUCO General Secretary George Gibore, who was also present at the delegates’ conference, added that they had given the MOH and COG more than a year to address their grievances but they have failed, which he termed a deliberate attempt by employers to go back on their agreement.
He noted that one of the major issues is that the MOH and COG have harmonized salaries for UHC staff but have failed to put them on permanent and pensionable terms, which they had agreed upon but are now opposing.
Gibore said that as of September 2024, they had agreed on promotion and redesignation of clinical officers, and a year later, the return-to-work formula has still not been implemented. He further recalled health CS promises to address all historical issues in the MOH while calling for a ceasefire.
“They talk about improving the health sector, yet they are against the people in the health sector. They oppose policies supporting and motivating healthcare workers, putting staff on permanent and pensionable terms, and establishing career guidelines for promotion,” decried Gibore.
Gibore emphasized that these are the reasons they are issuing the 21-day strike notice, set to begin on December 23, 2025.
Despite the standoff, the union highlighted positive progress in some 13 counties, notably Machakos County, which had promoted 80 percent of its clinical officers as required.
“We appreciate Machakos County and the Governor for taking deliberate steps to address career progression. However, the remaining percentage still forms part of the reasons for this strike alert to be implemented by the end of this year,” said Gibore.
The union now awaits a formal response from the MOH and the COG. If no agreement is reached within the notice period, Kenya risks yet another nationwide disruption in health services.
– By Anne Kangero & Mary Wavinya
Email your news TIPS to Editor@nairobilawmonthly.com, and to advertise with us, call +254715061658 anytime of the day
