Doctors issue 14-day strike notice after Gov’t fails to honour salary promise

Kenya’s healthcare system is once again staring at a looming crisis after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) issued a 14-day strike notice over what it terms as blatant disregard of signed agreements by both the national and county governments.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to top government officials, including Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, Cabinet Secretaries Aden Duale (Health), John Mbadi (Treasury), Geoffrey Ruku (Public Service), Alfred Mutua (Labour), and the Council of Governors (CoG), KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah accused the State of reneging on key aspects of the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and its subsequent addenda.

The union specifically cited the government's failure to disburse conditional grants to counties, delay in salary adjustments, and non-payment of arrears agreed upon in the Return-to-Work Formula (RTWF) signed on May 8, 2024, and further amended on December 19, 2024.

“The union is concerned that despite explicit agreement on the national government committing to provide conditional grants to the county governments… we do not see any action in this regard,” Dr. Atellah said in the letter in part.

KMPDU said its fears had been confirmed by the County Government Additional Allocation Act, 2025, and Supplementary Budget III—both of which omitted the crucial financial allocations needed to implement the signed agreements.

Notably, Dr. Atellah also stated that doctors under the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Labour have not received their salary arrears.

Most worrying, according to the union, is that July 2025 payslips for doctors showed no adjustments as stipulated in the December addendum—an act KMPDU described as a breach of contract and betrayal of trust.

"Take notice that unless the issues herein are resolved within 14 days... the highest decision-making organ of the union will convene to determine the way forward, including but not limited to calling for an industrial action," warned Dr. Atellah.

The union has also threatened to initiate contempt of court proceedings against accounting officers responsible for implementing the agreement, accusing them of ignoring legally binding commitments.

The looming industrial action could paralyze services in public hospitals across the country, including Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and various county facilities—posing a dire threat to healthcare delivery.

The last nationwide doctors’ strike, which ended on May 8, 2024, lasted 56 days and brought Kenya’s public health sector to its knees.

This fresh standoff now threatens to undo any progress made since then, reigniting tensions between the state and the medical fraternity.