Uasin gishu: Healthcare workers in Uasin Gishu County took to the streets on Tuesday to demonstrate over unresolved grievances by their employer, the County Government of Uasin Gishu. The healthcare unions including the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), Kenya Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KUMLO) and others are demanding among other things the County government to sign and implement CBA for nurses and clinical officers.
According to Kenya News Agency, the union officials want their employer to release Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) employment letters, promote all healthcare workers who are due for promotion and implement new career guidelines for nurses and midwives. Addressing journalists outside the County Assembly of Uasin Gishu, the unions’ leaders said they were exercising their constitutional right to petition authorities over longstanding labour grievances.
They threatened to escalate the ongoing industrial action into a nationwide strike next week, accusing county governments of failing to implement collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), absorb Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff on permanent and pensionable terms, and honour agreements reached through conciliation. The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers branch secretary based at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Exaviour Wamalwa said some health workers had waited for more than a decade for negotiated CBAs to be implemented.
He claimed that while some agreements had been negotiated and signed at the national level through the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors, many county governments had failed to sign or implement them. ‘We are here to demonstrate our constitutional rights and demand implementation of the agreements that affect healthcare workers. Some unions have negotiated CBAs for more than 13 years, while clinical officers have waited eight years,’ he said.
The union leaders also faulted the continued employment of UHC staff on contractual terms despite serving since the COVID-19 pandemic. They argued that many of the workers had exceeded the legal limit for contract renewals and should therefore be confirmed on permanent and pensionable terms. The officials singled out Uasin Gishu County, accusing its administration of failing to absorb UHC staff into permanent employment and of delaying implementation of CBAs and career progression guidelines for clinical officers, nurses and laboratory personnel.
They urged the county leadership to take the lead in resolving the dispute and called on governors across the country to address health workers’ concerns. The unions warned that unless their demands are met, they would intensify the strike beginning next week, with plans to mobilize both county and national referral hospital workers. The officials, however, welcomed the national government’s decision to convert UHC workers to permanent and pensionable terms but alleged that implementation had stalled at county level, with some county governments yet to issue appointment letters.
Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives Uasin Gishu branch secretary Glen Kimutai said healthcare workers remained on strike and alleged that some county health facilities were relying on students to provide services. He advised residents to exercise caution when seeking treatment and called on the Council of Governors to conclude negotiations and sign pending CBAs. ‘The fate of this strike lies with the Council of Governors. If they sign the nurses’ and clinical officers’ CBAs, this dispute can be resolved quickly,’ Kimutai said.
He further revealed that the Ministry of Labour had previously appointed a conciliator who brokered agreements between the unions and Uasin Gishu County Government on promotions, implementation of CBAs and implementation of Salaries and Remuneration Commission circulars. According to the unions, the county has yet to honour those agreements.
Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers Uasin Gishu branch secretary Stephen Biwott blamed challenges in the health sector on the management of healthcare workers under devolved governments. He called for the management of health workers to be returned to the national government, arguing that county administrations had frustrated implementation of national policies affecting healthcare personnel. Biwott maintained that county governments were responsible for the disruption of health services and warned that the strike would continue until workers’ demands were addressed.
Responding to questions from journalists, the union leaders acknowledged that some counties, including Nandi, Kericho and West Pokot, had made progress by signing CBAs, adopting career progression guidelines and engaging workers in dialogue. However, they observed that Uasin Gishu had lagged behind, accusing the county of delaying negotiations and failing to implement agreed labour reforms. The unions said they remained open to dialogue but insisted that industrial action would continue until county governments fully implement the agreements and address the concerns of healthcare workers.
