Kenya’s doctors are preparing to finalize a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by the end of June, even as their union continues to press the government over hundreds of millions in unpaid salary adjustments from a deal signed eight years ago.
Davji Atellah, Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union,said that the 2025–2029 CBA is scheduled to be concluded by June 30, 2026. He said negotiations have been ongoing with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which is expected to implement the agreement across the country.
A CBA is a labour contract that defines working conditions, pay, and benefits between employees represented by a union and their employer. It covers a fixed period and sets standards for wages, working hours, and other employment terms.
“The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has said that by the end of June this year, we should have a new CBA 2025-2029. So that's what we've been pushing for,” Atellah said.
The union says the ongoing dispute over unpaid adjustments remains a major challenge. While the government has revised its estimate of arrears down to Sh330 million from Sh450 million, KMPDU argues that the actual amount owed is closer to Sh1 billion, leaving a gap of between Sh600 million and Sh700 million unaccounted for.
“The only problem we have with them is that whatever they are implementing is less than what they owe us... So we'll write to them and ask them to implement it,” Dr Atellah added.
According to him, the State Department for Public Service and National Treasury initially put the outstanding adjustments at Sh450 million. After applying an SRC circular in February 2026, the new figure stands at Sh330 million, though the union disagrees with this assessment.
The SRC has directed all counties to apply basic salary adjustments immediately and to include all accrued arrears in their computations. Authorities have also provided a special code to ensure proper processing of the payments.
“We will be actively monitoring compliance across all counties to ensure full and immediate implementation. At the same time, we will independently verify the figures provided, maintaining our position that standard annual increments must not be conflated with CBA obligations,” said Dr Atellah.
For the union, finalizing the 2025–2029 CBA is a key priority this year, alongside hiring 2,000 new doctors and ensuring full salary adjustments are implemented nationwide. While progress has been made, they emphasize that the work is far from finished.
“While this marks significant progress, the journey is not yet complete. Our focus now shifts to full implementation and the successful conclusion of negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA,” Dr Atellah said.