Marsabit Clinical Officers decry three-month salary delays as strike enters fourth week

Clinical officers in Marsabit County have decried drowning under unpaid salaries, lack of medical cover, and unfulfilled promises - a crisis that has left both medics and patients in agony.

Addressing journalists on Thursday in Marsabit town as their strike entered its fourth week, the medics painted a grim picture of frustration, pain, and survival.

At Marsabit Referral Hospital, silence hangs heavy not because patients aren’t suffering, but because those meant to oversee their treatment and healing are themselves wounded by neglect.

Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Marsabit Branch Chairperson Abdishukri Adan detailed how they have endured three months without pay, even after previously suspending a similar industrial action upon signing a return-to-work formula that was never honoured by their employer, the County Government of Marsabit.

According to Adan, their statutory deductions have also not been remitted for over 20 months, and they have no medical cover.

He explained that through the ongoing industrial action, which has severely affected healthcare service delivery across all public health facilities in the vast and arid county, the medics are simply asking the county government to honour its promises — including implementing career progression guidelines, promotions, and re-designations.

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, Marsabit Branch, says it has signed not one, but two return-to-work agreements with the County Government, the latest being in April 2025.

KUCO Marsabit Chapter Secretary Daki Duba explained that they signed the agreements in good faith, first in July last year and again in April this year, but the County Government continues to renege on its word. He asserted that they will not sign another one in 2025 until all their demands are met, saying “enough is enough.”

Duba further insisted that the union does not trust their employer’s call for yet another return-to-work agreement, arguing that trust in the current county administration has completely broken down and that their patience is wearing thin.

Marsabit KUCO Treasurer Shukri Ibrahim narrated how one of their colleagues is battling stage four cancer at Garissa County Referral Hospital. He noted that the ailing colleague has not been paid since August, has no medical cover, and depends entirely on fundraisers from colleagues to sustain his treatment and survival.

Another clinical officer in Laisamis Sub-County is struggling with tuberculosis, unable to afford treatment. The very people meant to care for others have now become victims of a broken system.

The health crisis in Marsabit County has deepened, with repeated medics’ strikes and a shortage of essential drugs leaving residents helpless.

The clinical officers are now appealing directly to County Governor Mohamud Ali to intervene before the county’s health system collapses completely.