Public health officers have suspended their nationwide strike for 30 days to allow negotiations with the government, ending a 94-day work stoppage that had disrupted disease surveillance and public health services across the country.
The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEPHUPU) announced the decision in Kitui County on Sunday, October 25, 2026, after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale agreed to facilitate talks on the officers’ grievances. Union Secretary-General Brown Ashira directed all members, including those stationed at border points, to report back to work within 24 hours.
“We want to ask all our members at the border points, at all the county governments here in Kitui, we want to ask all our members to resume duty in the next 24 hours as we give the duration of 30 days of negotiation time to be able to see our issues being addressed,” he said.
The union said the Ebola outbreak was one of the main reasons it called off the strike, as public health officers play a key role in disease prevention, surveillance and screening at entry points.
“In the wake of Ebola, we want to make sure that our population are protected, safeguarded by the well-endowed PHOs who know what their work is in terms of prevention,” Ashira said.
Kenya has so far confirmed nine cases of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, all linked to a single cluster.
The union has signed a return-to-work formula with the Kitui County Government and expects other counties to follow. It also expects comprehensive negotiations with the national government to be concluded within the 30-day window.
The officers are demanding formal recognition of KEPHUPU as their union and the conclusion, signing and implementation of a pending Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). They also want more officers recruited and posted across the country, payment for interns, and contract and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff moved to permanent and pensionable terms.
Other demands include risk allowances and better working conditions for officers involved in disease surveillance and outbreak response. The union also opposes the transfer of staff and assets to the Kenya National Public Health Institute without consultation and an independent budget.
Duale has said the national government has set aside Sh8.6 billion to move more than 7,400 UHC workers onto permanent payrolls and urged county governments to speed up the transition.
During the strike, which began in July, public health officers staged protests in Nairobi to press their demands. Their return to work is expected to strengthen the country’s response to the Ebola outbreak, especially at border crossings and in the counties.
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