The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has been given seven days to resolve a dispute with nurses or face the escalation of the ongoing strike to Kenya’s national referral hospitals, threatening to further disrupt access to healthcare across the country.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) has warned that nurses will extend the industrial action to national facilities if the SRC fails to sign pending agreements and issue the required letters of no objection.

Speaking to the press at the union’s headquarters, KNUN Secretary-General Seth Panyako said the union was not demanding fresh negotiations, insisting that the only outstanding requirement was for the SRC to issue letters of no objection for agreements already reached with some county governments.

“Some county governments, including Marakwet, have reached agreements with nurses and signed their CBAs, but the nurses cannot resume duty because SRC has not issued the letters of no objection required for implementation,” said Panyako

📌 What You Need to Know

He accused the Employment and Labour Relations Court of working with the Council of Governors and SRC to lock the union out of a fair hearing, arguing that the prolonged dispute had left nurses and patients bearing the consequences.

The warning comes about a month after nurses issued a seven-day strike notice over unresolved grievances, including the demand for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers to be absorbed into the government payroll and issued with permanent and pensionable employment letters.

In their earlier notice, the nurses warned that they would withdraw services from county health facilities from July 29 if their grievances were not addressed, apologising to the public for the disruption but maintaining that poor working conditions posed a threat to safe patient care.

The industrial action has since spread to different parts of the country, with nurses in Eldoret among those continuing to protest over the unresolved issues and vowing to hold daily demonstrations as they push the government to respond to their demands.

The strike has left patients in several public hospitals struggling to access treatment, with reduced nursing staff affecting routine care, admissions and other essential services. Patients who rely on public facilities have been forced to wait longer for treatment or seek alternatives, often at private hospitals where costs are higher.

Further, the nurses' grievances include implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, payment of salary arrears and outstanding dues, promotions, improved working conditions and the absorption of UHC workers into permanent and pensionable terms.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke