Health strike: CoG asks workers to obey court order
Kenya National Union of Nurses workers protest in Nairobi on July 30, 2026, demanding the implementation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and calling on the Council of Governors (CoG) to sign and honor the negotiated deal.
The Council of Governors (CoG) has urged striking healthcare workers to obey the court order suspending the strike and return to work.
In a closed‑door meeting on the State of Devolution held in Nairobi, the governors discussed the ongoing industrial action, stressing that, to their knowledge, no one should be on the streets as the issues raised are already being addressed.
Speaking on behalf of the COGs, Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi Jiir, who is also the Wajir Governor, said all governors agree that UHC staff should be employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi on May 14, 2026.
He explained that what has delayed counties from implementing this, despite UHC staff already being on such payrolls, is the governors’ push to have the National Treasury entrench the allocated funding in perpetuity.
At present, the Sh8.6 billion allocated for UHC staff by the National Treasury remains a conditional grant. Governors fear this may not be sustainable next year if the national government withdraws support after counties have already issued permanent and pensionable appointment letters to the staff. He, however, noted that all is not lost.
“We are going to speed up discussions with the Health ministry and the National Treasury on how to close this matter as soon as possible,” he said.
“UHC workers should be at work; in any case, they are being paid. What they are striking about is to be put on permanent and pensionable terms in perpetuity, and all we are saying is that we are just trying to match the funding model with the kind of contract available,” he added.
Governor Abdullahi said that since there is a court order that has suspended the nurses' strike, they should also go back to their respective duty stations until all matters have been resolved. He assured the nurses that the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations with the Council of Governors are ongoing.
“We don’t know what they are striking about. As of every single agreement that we have had with existing CBAs, we have fulfilled them. What they are striking about is a new CBA, and we are willing to engage on that.
The governor told journalists that governors have the goodwill, but sometimes, their hands could be tied.
He referenced the agreement they had with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, who had issues with payment of their arrears.
“The arrears are not because of us, but because of a payment code issue that we have been waiting for a whole year from the public service department at the National Government and it has now come. The doctors will now be paid as per the new rates,” he said.
He dismissed the idea of taking back the health function to the national government, saying that those advocating for that should share whether the national government did better than what the counties have done since the promulgation of the new constitution.
“Who said health was better managed by the National Government? What evidence do we have? That would require a constitutional change — it cannot be decided on the streets,” he said.
“Counties are managing healthcare very well,” he added. As the council meeting continued yesterday, nurses camped outside the CoG offices, demanding to be heard by the governors.
After their council meeting that happened in the morning, the Council of Governors held a closed-door meeting, for the first time since the strike started, with some of the union leaders.
The Nation has seen a letter from the Health Union Caucus to the CoG indicating that, although the council has now welcomed negotiations, the unionists argue they had already exhausted all available industrial relations mechanisms without success, leading to the strike.
A nurse gesturing next to a banner at the entrance of Afya House in Nairobi on July 30,2026 during the Kenya National Union of Nurses workers protests demanding the implementation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and calling on the Council of Governors (CoG) to sign and honor the negotiated deal.
“We are, therefore, calling on the Council of Governors to urgently resolve these grievances and restore normalcy in healthcare services across the country,” read part of the letter.
By the time of going to press, there was no update on the closed‑door meeting between the CoG and union leaders aimed at resolving the impasse crippling the public health sector.
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