The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) issued a seven-day strike notice, demanding that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff be placed on the government payroll and issued with permanent and pensionable employment letters, APA can report on Thursday.
The union cautioned that the health workers will withdraw their services across the country’s health facilities after July 29 if the demand is not addressed.
“To the Kenyan public, we regret the immense disruption and suffering this impending action will inevitably cause to public medical facilities across the nation. However, a demotivated, unprotected, and underpaid nursing workforce is a direct threat to safe patient care,” the statement read.
The union submitted its grievances letter to the Cabinet Secretaries for Health and Public Service, the Council of Governors (CoG), as well as the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
“The ultimate responsibility for any impending healthcare paralysis rests squarely on the shoulders of government officials who continually choose administrative negligence over human lives,” the union said, noting that it will remain open for meaningful dialogue but will no longer accept empty political rhetoric.
The warning comes as healthcare workers raise concerns after the President directed county governments to place more than 7,400 UHC workers on permanent and pensionable terms.
The government, however, have reportedly rejected the plans to absorb them into county payrolls, leaving the health workers worrying.
The dispute has prompted KNUNM to urge the ministry to retain the workers on the national payroll and deploy them to referral hospitals which are facing staffing shortages.
The union demanded the conclusion of the centralized 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), arguing that prolonged negotiations had denied nurses improved terms of service.
MG/abj/APA