Nairobi County Medics Go on Strike Over Delayed Salaries
Nurses, laboratory officers, pharmaceutical technologists, and public health officers working under Nairobi County have officially gone on strike due to the delayed payment of their June salaries.
According to a letter seen by Newshub.co.ke, which was sent to the County Secretary, the Head of Staff, and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, the union leaders representing the medics said the delay in salaries violates the law—specifically, Section 18(1) of the Employment Act, 2007.
Peter Karegwa, the National Chairman of the Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists (KNUPT), confirmed in a phone interview on Thursday, July 17, that the strike only involves medics in Nairobi County. “Yes, we have started our strike, but it’s not a countrywide strike. It is strictly limited to Nairobi medics,” Karegwa clarified.
The healthcare workers’ unions pointed out that the delay in salary payments has brought immense hardship to their members. Many are struggling to meet their daily needs, including buying food and paying for transport.
This financial strain, they say, is now affecting their ability to provide quality and reliable healthcare to Nairobi residents.
“It is with deep regret that we inform you about the suspension of health services by our members due to the non-payment of their June salaries, which has caused them a lot of suffering,” part of the union letter stated.
The letter went on to quote the Employment Act, 2007, noting: “According to Section 18(1), every employer is legally required to pay an employee’s wages on time, and not later than the fifth day after the end of the pay period.”
Despite the unions making several efforts to engage with Nairobi County health officials and the county leadership over the matter, the letter revealed that no positive steps had been taken.
As a result, the medics issued a firm warning: “If the full June salaries are not paid by the end of the day today, our members have been instructed to remain at home and not report to their workstations until they are fully paid.”
The letter was officially signed by the Nairobi branch secretaries of several major health worker unions: the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO), the Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists (KNUPT), and the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU). It was received by the Office of the County Secretary on Wednesday, July 16.
This latest action comes just a few months after a previous healthcare crisis. On April 8, the Nairobi County Government had reached an agreement with doctors to end a five-week-long strike.
At the time, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) announced, “After 39 days of solidarity, the Nairobi County Doctors’ Strike is suspended. We have achieved progress on all nine of our key demands.”
However, the return of salary-related unrest suggests that challenges in the Nairobi County health sector are far from over.
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