NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – The County Government Workers Union-Kenya (COGWU-K) has threatened a nationwide strike if County Public Service Boards (CPSBs) fail to seek mandatory approvals from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to facilitate the signing and implementation of pending collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
In a statement issued Wednesday, the union’s Deputy Secretary General John Ndunda accused county public service boards of deliberately frustrating the process by failing to formally request SRC advisories, leaving thousands of county employees underpaid and stuck in the same job groups for years.
The union warned that unless the boards move with urgency, it will issue a formal strike notice that could disrupt county services nationwide.
“The baseline is clear; the only bottleneck is the refusal of County Public Service Boards to formally seek the SRC advisories required to move forward,” Ndunda said.
He said the delays have perpetuated wage disparities, stalled career progression and entrenched unequal treatment, particularly for workers absorbed from the defunct local authorities following the advent of devolution.
According to COGWU, many affected employees have remained in the same job grades for more than a decade despite performing duties comparable to those undertaken by colleagues in the national government.
The union said prolonged delays in implementing the CBAs have plunged many workers into financial hardship, forcing them to rely on high-interest digital loans and informal lenders to meet basic expenses, including rent, food and school fees.
It further claimed that delayed salary reviews have led to loan defaults, with some workers allegedly losing homes and other property through auction.
“A worker cannot serve the public with pride when they cannot feed their family, pay rent or access medical care despite working every single day,” Ndunda said.
COGWU noted that consultations involving the State Department for Devolution, SRC, the Ministry of Labour, the State Department for Public Service, the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC), the Office of the Attorney General and the union had already established a framework for addressing salary disparities under the Fourth Remuneration Cycle.
However, it blamed the current stalemate on county public service boards, noting that they had previously obtained court orders barring SRC from issuing advisories on its own motion and must now formally seek the Commission’s guidance.
The union is demanding the immediate promotion of eligible county employees, implementation of the SRC-approved unified salary structure, protection of existing salaries and house allowances, harmonisation of commuter and other statutory allowances, and the inclusion of cost-of-living adjustments in future pay reviews.
COGWU acknowledged that Nairobi, Mombasa, Kajiado, Taita Taveta and Kisumu counties have already initiated the process by seeking SRC clearance and submitting draft CBAs, but said most county public service boards have yet to act.
“Equal pay for equal work is not a request; it is a fundamental labour right. Seek the SRC advisory now, execute the CBAs, or prepare for a full withdrawal of labour,” Ndunda said.
