Nurses are expected to call off their five-week nationwide strike after the Council of Governors (CoG) reached an agreement with their union, setting the stage for the restoration of services in public health facilities.
The agreement was announced during the National and County Government Co-ordinating Summit at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday, September 8, by CoG chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi.
Abdullahi attributed the breakthrough to negotiations led by the council’s health committee, revealing that the proposed deal includes an increase in two key allowances paid to nurses.
Under the agreement, nurses will receive an additional Ksh8,000 in risk allowance and Ksh5,000 in uniform allowance, translating to a combined increase of Ksh13,000.
"Through the efforts of our health committee, I can report that we finally have a deal, provided they do not change their mind until the deal is signed. We offered them an increase in their risk allowance to Ksh8,000, and we also offered them an increase of Ksh5,000 in uniform allowance," Abdullahi announced.
The governors also committed to reviewing the allowances again in 2027 as part of the agreement reached with the nurses’ union.
"We agreed that we will look at these hopefully next year. The signing ceremony will be held after the summit, and we hope they get back to work," he added.
A formal signing ceremony is expected to follow the summit, with the agreement paving the way for nurses to resume their duties in public hospitals and other government health facilities.
The development could bring an end to the prolonged industrial action, which has disrupted healthcare services across the country and placed additional pressure on other health workers.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Monday issued a seven-day notice to the government over the nurses’ dispute, warning that doctors could join the strike if the standoff was not resolved.
The doctors’ union raised concerns over the continued disruption of services in public hospitals, noting that the absence of nurses had increased the workload for doctors and other healthcare workers.
The nurses had also intensified pressure on the government this week by camping at the CoG offices, insisting that they would only return to their stations after reaching and signing a formal agreement with the government.
Among the key issues raised by the nurses was the implementation of the 2017 Return-to-Work Agreement, which includes demands for better allowances and improved working conditions.
The union has also been pushing for the conclusion and implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), alongside the permanent and pensionable employment of staff recruited under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.
Other demands include enhanced career progression and promotions, improved remuneration and allowances, as well as the reinstatement of 46 nurses dismissed by Kisii County.
The proposed deal between the CoG and the nurses’ union is therefore expected to address some of the financial grievances at the centre of the dispute while creating a framework for further negotiations on the allowances in 2027.
The return of nurses would also ease pressure on public hospitals, which have faced disruptions throughout the five-week strike, while reducing the likelihood of further industrial action by other health professionals.
