Medical services in about 400 public health facilities in Bomet and Kericho counties have been paralyzed following a strike by doctors and clinical officers with patients forced to seek treatment in private hospitals.
In Kericho, the strike by doctors who are members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), entered the second week with failed attempts by the county government to have them resume their duties as the issues they have raised are addressed.
In Bomet, a strike by Clinical Officers who are members of the Kenya Clinical Workers Union (KCWU) entered the third day with their demands having not been addressed by the County Public Service Board (CPSB).
The clinical officer took the industrial action on Wednesday to protest against the non-implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (2024) by the county government of Bomet.
As a result, the devolved government unit has not promoted the clinical officers for a long time, and the salary increment that was due over three years ago has not been paid.
Still, officers serving on contract have not been employed by the County Public Service Board (CPSB) under permanent and pensionable terms, the Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have not been employed nor paid their dues while the county has not responded to the repeated pleas by the union to have the issues raised addressed.
Services in the health facilities have been hampered by the strike with only doctors and nurses left to attend to patients in wards and those seeking outpatient services.
The casualty departments are the most affected as there are no clinical officers to attend to patients seeking emergency services including those involved in road accidents.
Longisa County Referral Hospital, Tegat, Ndanai, Sigor, Kapkoros and Koiwo sub county hospitals were the most affected with the industrial action taken by the medical workers in Bomet county.
"The Bomet county government has failed to implement a legally negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and a Return-to-Work Formular signed last year leaving us with no option but to go on strike" Timothy Kigen Kipkoech the Bomet branch Secretary of the Kenya Clinical Officers Union (KCWU), said.
Patients at Longisa County Referral Hospital in Bomet County on July 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
The county has also been accused of failing to promote the clinical officers and that the recent advertisements for employment of medical workers lowered the entry point job groups for the clinical officers, which they demanded it be addressed.
"We have seven clinical officers who have not received salaries for the last three months, we have stagnated in one job group for the last seven years and the working conditions are not conducive in the facilities" Mr Kipkoech told journalists at a press conference held at Longisa county Referral hospital.
The union said the issues of redesignation, promotion and failure by the county government to apply Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) rates in salary scales by the county government.
The more than 200 clinical officers said they will not resume duties until the issues they have raised are addressed in full, adding that attempts to apply the divide and rule tactics by the county government would not bear fruits.
"The county government has clearly demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to implement an agreement that has been negotiated, agreed upon and signed by the parties, as such, we would not back down until our demands are met in full" Mr Kipkoech said.
In a statement, Dr Joseph Sitonik the County Executive in charge of Health and the Chief Officer in the department Mr Felix Langat confirmed that the county had received notice of strike from the clinical officers.
Clinical officers kept off facilities
"We are engaging the clinical officers through their union and the individual facilities to ensure that services are not disrupted to the detriment of the patients," Mr Langat told journalists at a press briefing on the matter.
They however said the CBA of 2024 had not been deposited in court as required to allow the county to operationalize it, adding that it was a matter that was being dealt with at the Council of Governors.
"In the interim, we have asked the union to be patient as the issues in the CBA are addressed at a higher level to enable us as a county to implement it" Dr Sitonik said at the county offices on Wednesday.
A spot-check showed that the services in the hospitals had been hampered by the strike with doctors and nurses attending to patients as the clinical officers kept off the facilities while others were idling in their workstations.
In the neighbouring Kericho County, doctors strike entered the second week with services paralysed in more than 200 hospitals.
Kericho County Referral Hospital (a level five facility), Kapkatet, Londiani, Sigowet, Ainamoi, Kipkelion and Forttenan sub county hospitals are the most affected facilities with the strike.
It follows a failure by the county government to reach an agreement for a return-to-work formula with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) that is leading the strike.
Dr Cherono Siele, the KMPDU South Rift branch chairperson and Dr Vincent Langat, the Kericho branch Secretary said three doctors had worked for the last three months without being paid their salaries, yet there was no response from the county government.
"For seven years, the county government has not promoted the doctors in Kericho against the CBA that was signed. The employer failed to implement a return-to-work formula last year despite clear timelines it would be operationalized by June 30,2025" Dr Langat said.
Dr Siele said on Thursday that it was unfortunate that the Kericho County Referral Hospital had seven doctors when it required at least 50 in what has affected service delivery.
A meeting between the executive arm of the Kericho county government and the workers representatives ended in disarray on Monday with both parties taking an adamant position on the standoff.
A return-to-work formula signed between the doctors and the county government in March 2025, which was supposed to have been implemented by June 30, 2025 is a matter of contention between the two parties.
Patients were not being attended to in the government hospitals with many opting to get medical services from private facilities in the two counties.
