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 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reached in 2024, despite months of negotiations.
Peterson Wachira National Chair of KUCO, speaking during a special delegates conference held 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 that required the Ministry of Health and county governments to finalise the CBA by October 2024 since 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,” lamented the Union Chair.
KUCO General Secretary George Gibore who was also present in 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 as 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 harmonised salaries for the UHC staff but have failed to put them on permanent and pensionable terms which is something they had agreed upon but are turning against it.
Gibore laments that as of September 2024 they had agreed on promotion and redesignation of clinical officers and a year later they have not yet implemented the return-to-work formula as agreed. Further, he recalls the health CS promises on addressing all historical issues in MOH while calling for a ceasefire.
“They talk on how to improve the health sector yet they are against the people In the health sector, they are against any policy supporting and motivating health care workers, they are against putting staff on PnP terms and a career guideline on how to promote staff,” decried Gibore.
Gibore emphasised that these are the reasons they are heeding the 21-day strike notice before they down their tools on 23rd of December 2025.
Despite the standoff, the union also 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 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 and Mary Wavinya
