Nurses call off nationwide strike after 43 days
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has called off its nationwide strike after 43 days.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has called off its nationwide strike after 43 days.
The decision followed a day-long closed-door meeting with the Council of Governors on Wednesday, September 9.
KNUNM Secretary General Seth Panyako announced that the strike had been called off with immediate effect.
“By the powers conferred to me by the Constitution of the Kenya National Union of Nurses and the Constitution of Kenya, I hereby declare that the strike that commenced on the 29th of July 2026 is hereby called off,” Panyako stated.
Nurses are therefore required to resume work immediately or within 24 hours to continue the smooth running of hospitals.
“I urge the electoral members to resume duty immediately and in any case not later than 24 hours from now,” he added.
The development brings to an end the nurses’ strike, which had disrupted healthcare services across the country.
Healthcare services have remained paralysed for nearly five weeks as the nurses demanded better pay allowances.
The nurses had camped at the Council of Governors’ offices this week, vowing to be there daily until their grievances are heard.
On Tuesday, CoG signalled that the strike would end, revealing that they had made an offer to the striking nurses.
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According to CoG chair Ahmed Abdullahi, nurses would receive an additional Ksh8,000 in risk allowance and Ksh5,000 in uniform allowance, bringing the proposed increase in the two allowances to Ksh13,000.
“Through the effort of our health committee, I can report that we finally have a deal if they do not change their mind until when the deal is signed.
We offered them an increase in their risk allowance to Ksh8,000 and we also offered them an increase of Ksh5,000 in uniform allowance,” Abdullahi announced during a meeting at State House.
The latest development has also averted a potentially threatening strike by doctors, after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) issued a seven-day notice over the nurses’ dispute, warning that doctors could also begin their own industrial action if the nurses’ strike were not resolved.
The doctors’ union expressed concern over the prolonged disruption in public hospitals and the additional workload placed on doctors and other health workers during the nurses’ strike.
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