A prolonged strike by clinical officers in Marsabit County has raised alarm over collapsing health services, with the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers warning that patients are facing limited access to care and a rising number of deaths, particularly among newborns, as the standoff stretches into its 151st day.
The union says the situation has reached a critical point, blaming the County Government of Marsabit for failing to implement agreed terms meant to resolve the dispute and restore normal service delivery. It describes the ongoing disruption as a humanitarian crisis that now requires urgent attention from national authorities.
Speaking on behalf of the union, Peterson Wachira accused the Marsabit County administration of neglect and failure to honour agreements that were signed between July 2024 and April 2025. He said the continued failure to act had led to widespread breakdown of services and a worrying rise in neonatal deaths.
“The data unequivocally demonstrates a severe, life-threatening collapse of essential medical services due to the employer's continued negligence and failure to resolve the issues affecting Clinical Officers,” the union said.
KUCO linked the dispute to Return to Work Agreements that remain unimplemented, despite commitments covering salary delays, medical cover, and staff promotions. The union said not a single clause in the agreements had been put into effect.
The strike began on October 14, 2025, following an earlier notice issued in September over unresolved grievances. The dispute later reached the Employment and Labour Relations Court in December 2025, which ordered a temporary suspension of the strike for 30 days and directed both parties to negotiate without victimisation of workers.
KUCO stated that it complied with the court directive in good faith but accused the county government of failing to do the same. “Instead of negotiating, the employer engaged in victimization by unprocedurally redeploying 19 officers and skipping scheduled meetings,” the statement said.
Efforts to resolve the impasse stalled again in March 2026 when a draft Return to Work Agreement was not signed on the agreed date, a move the union described as deliberate and aimed at keeping officers off the payroll.
The union further accused the county administration led by Governor Mohamud Mohamed Ali of avoiding consistent engagement and failing to follow through on negotiations. KUCO said several meetings were either postponed or ended without tangible outcomes.
In earlier engagements, the governor had taken part in talks with doctors’ unions in late 2025, where discussions focused on welfare concerns and implementation of agreements. However, KUCO said these efforts did not extend to resolving the clinical officers’ dispute.
At the national level, intervention has mainly been through the courts, with limited direct involvement from the executive, even as the situation worsened. Local leaders, including Marsabit Senator Mohamed Said Chute and Woman Representative Naomi Waqo, have not issued widely reported substantive interventions, prompting the union to call on them to step in.
The impact on healthcare services across the county has been severe. KUCO reports that outpatient visits dropped from 15,700 before the strike to about 700 during the strike, representing a 95.5 percent decline. Inpatient admissions fell by 88 percent, while theatre cases reduced by 73.7 percent.
Overall service delivery declined from 16,909 cases to 875, reflecting an 85.73 percent drop. The union noted that surgical services are now largely sustained by nurse anaesthetists, pointing to a shortage of clinical officers and limited capacity to handle both emergency and elective procedures.
The union also raised concern over rising neonatal deaths, which it described as the most alarming outcome of the prolonged strike. It reported a sharp increase from 2 deaths per 1,000 live births to 21 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“Neonatal deaths have soared 10-FOLD, increasing from 2 deaths per 1,000 live births to 21 deaths per 1,000 live births,” it said, adding that “this horrific statistic confirms that the breakdown of maternal and child health services is resulting in the tragic and avoidable loss of newborn lives.”
Several health facilities, including Moyale, Kalacha and Laisamis sub-county hospitals, have reportedly shut down. Patients are being forced to travel long distances for treatment, with some seeking care across the border in Ethiopia.
“Patients at Moyale Sub County Hospital are being forced to seek surgical care across the Ethiopia border, risking delays and poor outcome,” the union said.
KUCO further accused the county government of disregarding court orders by removing clinical officers from the payroll between December 2025 and March 2026, including those who were on approved leave.
“The prolonged strike is a humanitarian crisis. The employer's failure to address the legitimate grievances of clinical officers has had deadly consequences for the people of Marsabit County,” the union said, warning that “every day the strike continues, the death toll and suffering increases.”
The union has now turned to the Senate, urging urgent intervention to resolve the crisis. It is demanding immediate signing of the March 2026 Return to Work Agreement, reinstatement of all clinical officers to the payroll, and an end to what it terms victimisation of its members.
“The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers will no longer tolerate the casual treatment of our members' livelihoods and the lives of Marsabit residents,” KUCO said.
KUCO Deputy General Secretary Austin Oduor described the strike as one of the longest in the health sector globally, calling the situation deeply worrying and avoidable.
He said the crisis reflects a breakdown in healthcare delivery despite progress made under devolution. He added that many residents are unable to access care even in neighbouring counties, worsening the impact on communities.
Oduor also criticised the county leadership for failing to engage the union throughout the strike period, despite court directions. He called on local leaders to intervene urgently and help resolve the dispute.
“What we really need here is just honoring the return to work formula,” he said, stressing that restoring services depends on full implementation of the agreement.
KUCO maintained that it will continue pushing for a resolution, warning that delays will continue to worsen the situation in Marsabit County and leave residents without essential medical care.
