The Kenya National Union of Nurses has issued a 26-day notice for a nationwide strike that will begin on June 24. This decision comes after the union accused the government of failing to address their long-standing grievances.
According to the union’s Secretary General, Seth Panyako, the government has repeatedly ignored their concerns for years.
While speaking to the press on May 29, Panyako expressed frustration, saying some of the union’s issues have remained unresolved for over seven years, despite many attempts to get help from the authorities.
Panyako said the strike will involve all nurses across the country, and it will push for the immediate hiring of nurses on permanent and pensionable terms.
He pointed out that nurses under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme have been working under very difficult conditions. Despite having proper qualifications, these nurses receive very little pay.
They also lack job security, which affects their morale and performance. He said it is unfair for nurses with the same academic background to be treated differently just because of their employment terms.
He stressed that the government’s failure to fix these problems has left the union with no choice but to call for a strike.
According to him, the situation is urgent, and the time to act is now. He made it clear that nurses employed under UHC have endured low wages and poor conditions for over five years, even though they do the same work as others who are better paid.
Another key issue raised by the union is the government’s failure to implement the new 2024 salary structure for nurses. This structure was supposed to take effect in July last year, but it still has not been put into place.
The union believes that implementing the new salary structure is a basic step toward respecting and valuing the work nurses do every day.
At the same time, the Kenya Clinical Officers Association also threatened to join the strike. They accused President William Ruto’s administration of not keeping its promises.
Clinical officers said they are struggling due to the lack of a proper medical insurance plan. This has become worse since the government decided to replace the National Health Insurance Fund.
A representative from their group said many clinical officers cannot even access healthcare services themselves because the current insurance system is not working.Both unions have called on the National Treasury to revise the budget for the Ministry of Health.
They want enough money allocated to make sure healthcare workers are well supported. Without such changes, they say the country’s health system will continue to suffer, and healthcare workers will remain demoralized.
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