Health services in Kisii County have come to a standstill after nurses initiated a strike.
The nurses, who are members of the Kenyan National Union of Nurses (KNUN), are protesting the county government for their failure to implement current and previous collective bargaining agreements (CBAs)
During a press briefing in Kisii town, union leaders explained their demands and accused the county of failing to implement current and past collective bargaining agreements.
Reasons behind the strike of Kisii nurses
“Loans are not being paid, union dues are not being paid, and Other relevant financial institutions are not receiving their dues,” said a KNUN official.
The union also demands payment of uniform allowances and resolution of issues related to statutory deductions.
Despite deductions being made from their salaries, the county has failed to remit these funds to the relevant bodies.
Efforts to engage county health officials for talks have been unsuccessful.
“We have been patient, but the county government has ignored conciliatory talks,” the union representative added.
The strike has left many public health facilities unable to offer services to patients, and the nurses warn that services will remain suspended until meaningful negotiations resume.
Also Read: Nurses Announce Date When National Strike Will Start
This comes days after the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) officially announced the date when nurses across the country will go on strike.
Nurses announce nationwide strike
Speaking during a press briefing in Kisumu on Friday, August 1, union officials, led by Deputy Secretary General Maurice Opetu, said that nurses will go on industrial action starting August 8, 2025, over the delayed implementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
KNUNM accused the Council of Governors (CoG) of failing to honour its commitments during a 30-day reconciliation period agreed upon in July.
Also Read: Duale Revokes Internships of Hundreds of Nurses With Immediate Effect
The officials further alleged that the CoG had shown “a lack of goodwill” in resolving the long-standing CBA stalemate.
Opetu also threatened to paralyse the national nursing internship program, accusing the Ministry of Health of revoking the posting of 306 nursing interns without due process.
He appealed to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to reconsider the decision, saying some of those affected were due for posting and deserved individual case reviews.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
