NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 7 – President William Ruto and governors are set to hold talks on Monday as pressure mounts to resolve the nationwide nurses’ strike that has disrupted healthcare services across Kenya.

📻 Breaking It Down

The meeting between the national and county governments is expected to focus on the outstanding issues behind the industrial action and seek a lasting solution to recurrent labour disputes in the health sector.

Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire confirmed that the Council of Governors (CoG) will meet Ruto and other national government leaders under the National and County Governments Co-ordination Summit on September 7.

The Summit, established under the Intergovernmental Relations Act, brings together the President and the governors of Kenya’s 47 counties and serves as the apex forum for relations between the two levels of government.

📌 What You Need to Know

The nurses’ strike has largely centred on the implementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and disagreements over its financial implications and implementation.

Mbarire has previously attributed part of the dispute to the obligations created by the 2017 CBA, arguing that counties have faced challenges meeting the financial commitments because of inadequate resources.

However, the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives has maintained that the agreement is binding and has rejected claims that it is financially unsustainable.

KNUNM Secretary-General Seth Panyako has said the CBA remains the central issue in the dispute and that the union has not reached a deal with the Council of Governors.

The union has continued to demand progress on the agreement, while county governments have called for nurses to return to work as negotiations continue.

The prolonged strike has severely disrupted services in public hospitals, with patients facing difficulties accessing routine and emergency healthcare.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya