Public hospitals in Nairobi are experiencing continued service disruptions as doctors maintain a strike over unpaid wages and delayed career promotions, saying the county government has repeatedly failed to meet their demands.
The industrial action has left patients facing long delays, with no clear timeline for resolution.
Members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) argue that promises made in earlier return-to-work agreements remain unfulfilled, with many health workers yet to receive their salaries or insurance cover for the start of the year.
Speaking at Mbagathi Hospital on Wednesday, KMPDU Nairobi Branch Secretary Malindi Chao accused the county government of neglecting doctors’ concerns, which she said have disrupted both professional routines and personal lives.
“Unfortunately, out of the many and long-standing demands, the only thing the council has managed to fulfil is giving us a confirmation letter. And it’s not like we did anything extraordinary,” Chao said.
“January, we don’t have a salary, we don’t have insurance. In fact, insurance cover was just activated yesterday. So from the 9th to the 13th, we didn’t have a cover. You are a parent, you have a family depending on you, yet there’s no salary by January 14.”
Nairobi’s current strike is part of a wider trend of industrial unrest in Kenya’s health sector. In October last year, local doctors staged a street demonstration, marching to the governor’s office after their complaints went unresolved.
Earlier, doctors in Kiambu County had a 150-day strike over unpaid wages and statutory deductions, which disrupted public hospital services until the county recruited extra doctors and nurses to fill the gaps.
The Kiambu strike ended when the county, KMPDU, and the Council of Governors signed an agreement addressing grievances and setting timelines for action, as announced by Chairperson Muthomi Njuki. KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah described the agreement as a significant step toward protecting healthcare workers’ welfare.
“One good thing that happened is that the county managed to employ more doctors and nurses during the strike. Kiambu is one of the most populous counties, and employing more doctors means residents will get better healthcare,” Atellah said.
In his New Year statement, Atellah highlighted plans to recruit 2,000 new doctors and pursue fresh salary increases in 2026, following billions of shillings in arrears paid to medics last year.
He also noted the union’s focus on basic salary adjustments across counties and ministries, full arrears from July 2025, and the finalisation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The union reported that last year 5,186 doctors received seven-year salary arrears in two installments directly from the National Treasury. Interns posted in August 2024 also received full CBA-compliant pay, including arrears, while the current batch of 1,750 interns now earns complete CBA salaries from their first month.
KMPDU said over 3,100 doctors were promoted across counties, ministries, and Level 6 hospitals, while 633 postgraduate training fees, previously stalled since 2017, were approved, with 500 already paid. More than 1,000 doctors were converted from contract to permanent, pensionable roles.
At Kenyatta National Hospital, more than 120 doctors who earned Sh80,000 since 2019 were moved to three-year contracts with a monthly salary of Sh300,000 plus gratuity. Statutory deductions, including Social Health Authority contributions, are now to be remitted to counties by the third of each month to ensure compliance by the ninth.
The union noted that 21 strikes were conducted in 2025 without any victimisation, and all withheld salaries were paid. Its 2026 agenda includes ensuring smooth intern posting, basic salary adjustments, mass employment of doctors, and finalisation of the CBA.
