Nurses have reiterated they are ready to end their nationwide strike, but insist they will only return to work after key agreements on their employment terms are implemented.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) says it is ready for constructive engagement with the government and the Council of Governors (CoG), but the industrial action that began on July 29 will continue until the outstanding issues are resolved.
The union’s position comes as the strike enters its fifth week, with public health services disrupted in counties across the country and patients facing delays and limited access to treatment.
KNUNM Secretary General Seth Panyako said the union remained committed to dialogue but would not accept promises without implementation.
Panyako spoke after consultations with Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, who chairs the CoG Health Committee, as the union stepped up efforts to engage governors directly.
“We have met Governor Nassir to deliberate and explore solutions to resolving the ongoing nationwide nurses’ strike,” Panyako said.
He said the dispute was a national matter centred on the welfare and employment of nurses and midwives and was not aimed at punishing patients.
“We are committed to multi-level diplomacy and we aggressively continue to pursue structured engagements at both the county and national levels to address labour grievances and restore normalcy in our health facilities,” he said.
The union is demanding implementation of the 2017 return-to-work agreement, conclusion and implementation of the nurses’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), adoption of career progression guidelines, and the absorption of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers into permanent and pensionable employment.
It also wants outstanding county-level agreements implemented and other employment grievances resolved.
Recent talks have offered some hope of a settlement. Panyako said discussions with the CoG Health Committee had made progress on career progression guidelines and the status of UHC workers.
On the career guidelines, the union and governors have tentatively agreed to establish a committee to review and develop a framework for their implementation.
“The career guideline, we tentatively and informally agreed that it shouldn’t be an issue. The union should forward names of people to sit on the committee to look into the revision of the career guidelines,” Panyako said.
The union has also welcomed government efforts to address the position of UHC workers, although it wants those workers to receive formal confirmation of their permanent and pensionable status.
Panyako said a directive had been issued to resolve the human resource and payroll issues affecting UHC staff.
“The President, when he promises like that, in Kenya, we expect the words of the President to be honoured and implemented,” he said.
But the biggest hurdle remains the CBA.
Panyako said the agreement must be concluded and forwarded to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for a letter of no objection before nurses can resume duty.
“The other issue which is now not settled is the CBA. We plan on meeting over the week and we hope that they will be serious and we hope we will get a letter of no objection so that our members can go back to work,” he said.
Another union official, Maurice Odhiambo, said nurses would not return to work until the CBA, UHC employment letters and career progression guidelines were addressed.
“The nurses will not go back to work until we have the CBA, until we have the UHC staff getting their letters of PNP and paid gratuity, until our career progression guidelines are implemented,” Odhiambo said.
He also criticised governors who have moved to recruit nurses during the strike, questioning why money was suddenly available for recruitment while longstanding grievances remained unresolved.
His remarks followed Governor Nassir’s directive for the immediate recruitment of 573 nurses on contractual terms in Mombasa. Nassir has argued that there is no shortage of nurses in the county and that more than 1,000 people would apply if vacancies were advertised.
The Mombasa governor has, however, urged health workers to give negotiations a chance.
“We are appealing to the health workers to end the crippling strike and give dialogue a chance,” Nassir said.
The union maintains that only its national leadership can formally call off the strike.
Odhiambo said branch officials did not have the authority to unilaterally end the national industrial action and urged nurses to remain firm in counties where they had been told the strike had ended.
“We reassure our nurses and the public that the strike is on until the governors and SRC act,” he said.
The union has also warned that the dispute could widen if the outstanding matters are not resolved.
Panyako previously gave the SRC a seven-day ultimatum to issue no-objection letters and help clear the way for implementation of pending agreements.
The pressure comes as the strike continues to affect public hospitals. The union has threatened to extend the action to national referral facilities if a settlement is not reached.
For now, the nurses are offering dialogue rather than surrender. Their message to the government and governors is that they are prepared to negotiate, but any return to work must be backed by signed agreements, official approvals and actual implementation.
The union signed a return-to-work formula in 2017 to end a prolonged strike, but says key parts of that agreement remain unimplemented.
