County governments will begin paying doctors under the revised 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from August 2026 after receiving a key payroll approval that had stalled implementation for more than a year, the Council of Governors (CoG) has announced.
Speaking on behalf of the Council on Thursday, July 23, 2026, CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi said the long delay was not caused by county governments but by the absence of a special payroll code from the Ministry of Public Service. He said the approval has now been issued, paving the way for counties to effect the new salary rates and clear all pending arrears.
The announcement comes amid growing pressure from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which had warned of possible industrial action over the delayed implementation of the 2024 CBA.
According to the governors, counties were unable to process the revised salaries because the existing Human Resource payroll system could not accommodate the new salary structure agreed in the CBA.
They explained that the revised pay package placed doctors above the limits supported by the current payroll system, making it necessary for the Ministry of Public Service to create a special payroll code before payments could begin.
“For one year, we were waiting to get a special code from the Ministry of Public Service to allow us to pay the doctors their agreed rates in the CBA. We have just obtained it, and beginning August we will start paying doctors the agreed CBA rates,” the council said, adding that arrears accumulated during the delay will also be settled.
The Council maintained that county governments should not be blamed for the delayed implementation, saying the hold-up resulted from the lengthy wait for the payroll approval mechanism from the national government.
At the same time, the governors rejected calls to transfer the management of health services back to the national government, insisting that healthcare remains a devolved function under the Constitution.
Ahmed Abdullahi said any move to reverse devolution in the health sector would require constitutional changes approved by Kenyans through a referendum rather than an administrative decision.
“Health is a devolved function under the Constitution. Any attempt to reverse devolution would require the approval of Kenyans through a referendum,” Abdullahi said.
On the ongoing concerns involving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers, the Council said the dispute should be handled through the existing intergovernmental framework instead of demonstrations.
The governors faulted the national government for failing to fulfil earlier commitments on financing UHC workers, arguing that timely release of the agreed funds would have prevented the current standoff.
“All we’re saying is, let every person keep their part of the bargain. Put this money where we’ve agreed this should be put, and we’ll pay the UHC workers. So, we want to tell UHC workers: this matter can only be solved through intergovernmental architecture; it cannot be resolved through demonstrations in the streets.”
The Council urged the national government to release the agreed funding without further delay, saying counties are ready to pay UHC workers and fully implement the agreements once the money is made available.