Nurses in Narok County on Friday joined colleagues across the country in a nationwide strike, demanding the resolution of long-standing labour grievances, including the implementation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), improved terms of service and the absorption of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into permanent and pensionable employment.
The nurses, under the umbrella of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), marched through Narok Town carrying placards and blowing whistles before converging outside the Narok County Teaching and Referral Hospital, where they presented their grievances and called for immediate government action.
Addressing the protesters, KNUN Narok Chapter Chairman Henry Onyancha said the industrial action would continue until the outstanding issues are fully addressed.
He said the union had exhausted all available channels of dialogue over the years but had received little progress despite repeated engagements with the relevant authorities.
“Our union has in good faith engaged in negotiations for years, yet our diplomacy has been met with empty promises and administrative roadblocks from the concerned authorities. We are drawing a clear line in the sand regarding five core unresolved disputes that threaten the very survival of our profession,” said Onyancha.
He maintained that negotiations should continue at the national level to facilitate a comprehensive settlement of the dispute.
The nurses are demanding that the Council of Governors signs and implements the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, saying the delay has denied them improved salaries, better working conditions and enhanced terms of service.
They are also seeking the implementation of agreements affecting Universal Health Coverage staff, harmonisation of employment processes across counties and full implementation of the 2017 return-to-work agreement.
According to the union, county governments have also failed to implement career progression guidelines for nurses approved by the Public Service Commission in March 2025.
KNUN Narok Chapter Treasurer Loice Kantai said the delay has stalled promotions, salary progression and career advancement for thousands of nurses working in county health facilities.
“This systematic failure to implement established career guidelines has effectively frozen promotions, suppressed rightful salary increments and stalled professional growth across all counties,” she said.
Kantai warned that nurses would not resume duty until meaningful action is taken to address their concerns.
She added that government agencies could no longer claim ignorance of the challenges facing healthcare workers because they had already acknowledged receipt of the union’s grievances.
The union also wants all Universal Health Coverage staff to be employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
Although Parliament approved funding for their absorption, KNUN said many county governments have yet to implement the decision.
The union noted that the Ministry of Health recently transferred the payroll for UHC workers to the Department of Medical Services and assigned them permanent and pensionable positions.
It urged the Ministry to retain the payroll under the national government and deploy the workers to national referral hospitals experiencing acute shortages of healthcare personnel.
The union is further demanding the reinstatement of 46 nurses dismissed by Kisii County in 2021 while on duty.
“We remain open to meaningful dialogue, but we will no longer accept empty political rhetoric. Give Kenyan nurses and midwives their rightful terms of service, or face a complete standstill of the public health system,” said Kantai.
The strike has affected public hospitals in more than 20 counties, including Narok, Embu, Kitui, Samburu, Wajir, Machakos, Kajiado, Tharaka Nithi, Kisii, Baringo, Makueni, Meru, Murang’a, Kisumu, Bungoma, Homa Bay, Kwale, Nyamira, Siaya, Uasin Gishu, Lamu, Mombasa and Nyandarua.
Patients seeking treatment in public health facilities have been left without essential nursing services, worsening disruptions already caused by ongoing industrial action involving Universal Health Coverage workers and other healthcare professionals.
Laboratory officers, public health officers, nutritionists, pharmaceutical officers and clinical officers are also on strike over separate labour disputes, further straining service delivery in the country’s public health sector.
By Emily Kadzo
