Clinical officers in Nairobi who have been on strike for 85 days will resume duty within the next 24 hours after the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers signed a return to work formula with the Nairobi City County Government.
The signing of the return to work formula follows an agreement on the issues raised which included posting of five clinical officers who had appointment letters and implementation of the career progression guidelines approved in 2024.
According to KUCO, progress has been made on the key issues of concern.
The Nairobi City County Government has vowed to ensure that the contents of the return to work formula are fully implemented in due time.
The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers has put Nairobi County on notice over failure to address clinicians’ concerns despite having been on strike since the 21st of April 2025.
According to KUCO, operations in hospitals across the city have been severely affected, with level four and five facilities the worst affected as the industrial action enters its 83rd day.
Addressing a press conference Monday, KUCO Secretary General George Gibore called on Governor Johnson Sakaja to urgently intervene and help resolve the ongoing standoff.
“Today’s statement serves as a formal call to the Governor of Nairobi City County, His Excellency Johnson Sakaja, to take full political and administrative responsibility for this healthcare crisis and move with urgency to address the long-standing grievances of Clinical Officers”, the clinicians urged.
“The citizens of Nairobi deserve better. Healthcare workers deserve dignity. The solution lies not in intimidation or propaganda but in genuine dialogue, commitment to policy, and respect for labour rights and professional recognition,” he said.
The issues they want addressed include promotions and job group redesignation as well as implementation of the career guidelines, which were approved in May 2024.
They have also cited non-posting and regularisation of five clinical officers who were formerly under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), whom they allege were irregularly left out.
According to the union, the impact on health facilities is as follows:
Level 2 Facilities: 74 – Fully affected
Level 3 Facilities: 42 – Fully affected
Level 4 Facilities: 12 – Fully affected
Level 5 Facility: Only one is affected, and it is operating partially with minimal services being offered by interns, who they regret, are being compelled to work contrary to intern govern policy, which stipulates that they must only operate under supervision.
The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) will at midday give an update on the status of the ongoing strike.
The medics who downed their tools last month have refused to call off the national industrial action until the government fully addresses their grievances.
They are demanding complete CBA negotiations, promotion and re-designation, absorbing UHC staff to Permanent and Pensionable terms, paying interns per job group, comprehensive medical cover and payment of enhanced risk allowance.
The officers who have affirmed their support for UHC blamed the county governments for their frustrations.
“We have been having deals with both national and county government, more so the one for 2021 in regards to our risk allowance and they have refused to fulfil, if you cannot deliver on that then you have no business being in the ministry of health,” Kuco Secretary General, George Gibore,
“We are not celebrating to be on strike, we are not happy with our health CS, we are unhappy with those who are supposed to make decisions on behalf of the governors to allocate funds in promotion of the health sector,” he added.
Clinical officers in Murang’a County have said the ongoing strike will continue until their demands are met.
Speaking in Murang’a, during a meeting with Governor Irungu Kang’ata, the officers led by the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Secretary General, George Gibore said they had discussed their demands with the governor and were hopeful they will be met so that they can go back to work.
Gibore held that previously, there have been issues with the promotions of clinical officers stating that one of the agreements reached is that the county will adhere to the newly approved career progression guidelines for clinical officers.
“Previously they used to promote personnel without any guideline but now there is this guideline which is actually a fruit of the strike in place.” He said adding that there have been cases where clinical officers have not been promoted for six years which is not acceptable.
The secretary general noted that to relieve the workload of the officers they had agreed that the governor will employ more clinical officers to serve in the over 170 health facilities in the county.
“The governor has committed to continuously employ clinical officers to ensure there are enough officers in every facility.” He said.
He also noted that there is still contention surrounding the employment and remuneration of interns and the union is working to come to an agreement with the government.
Gibore further on highlighted the plight of clinical officers employed during the Covid-19 pandemic who are still on contract in spite of having the same job description and qualifications with their colleagues.
The secretary general called upon the government to prioritize healthcare by stabilizing the human resource and allocating more funds towards personnel and equipment as needed.
One of the clinical officers, Beatrice Wanjiru, employed under Universal Health Coverage (UHC) during the Corona pandemic, said that they had been forgotten.
Wanjiru pleaded with the government to review their terms of employment from contract to permanent like those of their colleagues saying they have similar work experience and working conditions.
“Our terms of employment should be changed to permanent like our colleagues because we have the same responsibilities and even experience.” Wanjiru said,
Wanjiru noted that upgrading their terms to permanent would also ensure equal pay with their colleagues and comprehensive health insurance.
The clinical officers also demanded that the government increases their risk allowance from three thousand shillings to Ksh 15,000.
The Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has raised the red flag over an increase in assault cases targeting health workers across the country.
The union now wants the Senate and the County assemblies to enact a law allowing armed police officers to guard all major health centers in the wake of the attacks.
This follows an incident at Naivasha sub-county hospital over the weekend where a group of relatives clashed with some medics over the death of a patient.
This came as the union decried the acute shortage of staff at the public hospital and a lapse in its security leading to the clash where some medics were attacked.
During the weekend incident, the family accused the management of the hospital of negligence and for demanding Ksh 10,000 which they didn’t have leading to the death.
According to KUCO national chairman Peterson Wachira, the attack had traumatized the health workers leading to low job morale and fear.
Speaking in Naivasha, Wachira lashed out at the attackers while calling on police to hasten their investigations adding that there was no negligence or cash demand as alleged.
“We shall be writing to the Senate to enact a law for armed police officers to be seconded in major hospitals and to the IG to hasten the prosecution of the main suspect in this case,” he said.
He at the same time decried the acute shortage of medical personnel in the Naivasha hospital adding that patients were waiting for hours before getting services.
This was echoed by the union Secretary General George Gibore who said that many workers in the facility were casual laborers despite being medically qualified leading to low morale.
“This is a referral hospital that is busy and serving hundreds of patients but staffing is low and hence the long queues recorded daily,” he said.
He condemned the attack on the health workers while calling for the Nakuru county government and the hospital management to urgently address the issues of security.
“We should assure health workers of their security as we call on police to hasten investigations into the Naivasha incident,” he said.
On her part, the Secretary-General Kenya National Union of Nurses Rose Masta termed the attack as demoralizing and disheartening for the health workers.
“As we address the issue of the attack, the county should look into staffing as the health workers in this facility are overwhelmed and demoralized,” she said.
