NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 21 – The nationwide strike by health workers under the Health Union Caucus entered its second day on Tuesday, with union leaders insisting they will not return to work until the government addresses their longstanding grievances.
The unions are demanding the immediate conversion of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers from contract employment to permanent and pensionable terms, alongside the implementation of the 2024–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which they say was due for implementation in February 2026.
Speaking during the strike, union officials said they had given both the national and county governments sufficient time to resolve the issues through dialogue but had seen little progress.
One of the union leaders, Peterson Wachira, said the strike would continue until all the workers’ demands are fully met.
“We have given the government enough time. We will only return to work after all our grievances have been addressed,” he said.
The Health Union Caucus clarified that the industrial action does not involve doctors represented by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) or nurses represented by the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN).
Another union official, Wachira, accused county governments of failing to engage the unions despite receiving a strike notice in advance.
He said the Council of Governors (CoG) had not reached out to the unions since the strike was announced, arguing that county governments bear the greatest responsibility for resolving the dispute.
“The strike is targeted more at the counties because we are dissatisfied with how governors have handled this matter since we issued the strike notice,” he said.
The strike has affected the delivery of health services in several counties as negotiations remain stalled.
