The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned that it could issue a strike notice if the ongoing nurses’ strike is not resolved within the next seven days. KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah said the continued disruption of healthcare services in public facilities had grown beyond an ordinary labour dispute, warning that patients were increasingly bearing the consequences.
In a statement issued on Monday, Atellah described the situation as a national healthcare emergency, saying public hospitals were operating under significant pressure as essential services remain disrupted and healthcare workers face increasingly heavy workloads. The union boss said doctors and other healthcare professionals were being required to work under difficult conditions, with workloads that he described as unsustainable and potentially unsafe for patients.
Patients Feeling Impact of Healthcare Crisis
According to Atellah, the ongoing disruption is already affecting patients through delayed treatment, interrupted services, preventable complications and avoidable suffering. He said the current crisis was the result of longstanding challenges within Kenya’s health sector rather than an issue that emerged recently. Among the concerns raised by the KMPDU Secretary General are the non-implementation of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), delayed salaries and statutory remittances, stalled promotions and inadequate staffing.
KMPDU maintained that agreements reached between the government and healthcare workers should be honoured, warning that failure to implement signed agreements could erode confidence in government.
KMPDU Calls for Talks With Government
The doctors’ union has called on the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors (CoG) to resume negotiations with striking nurses and reach a binding and fully funded Return-to-Work Formula. The union is also demanding the full implementation of signed CBAs, including the settlement of salary arrears, promotions and other benefits agreed upon with healthcare workers across the 47 counties. KMPDU further wants the government to address persistent shortages of healthcare workers and delays in recruitment.
The union is also pushing for the establishment of the Health Human Resource Advisory Council (HHRAC) to provide a coordinated approach to the management of Kenya’s health workforce.
Doctors Demand Salary Adjustments
KMPDU has additionally called on all 47 county governments to implement previously agreed adjustments to doctors’ basic salaries. According to the union, the salary adjustment had been agreed upon with the Council of Governors and was scheduled to take effect in August 2026.
Atellah said KMPDU would continue supporting nurses and other healthcare workers in their efforts to secure the implementation of agreements reached with the government. The union maintained that healthcare workers deserve fair treatment and that commitments made during negotiations should be honoured.
KMPDU has now issued a seven-day ultimatum, warning that failure to resolve the nurses’ strike within that period will prompt the union to issue its own strike notice.
