Nairobi — Nurses have called off their 43-day strike after reaching a Return to Work Formula (RTWF) agreement with county governments to address long-standing grievances in the health sector.
Council of Governors (CoG) Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi announced the agreement on Wednesday, September 9, following a meeting between the governors’ council and the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN).
Abdullahi attributed the prolonged strike to the failure to implement the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), saying the Return to Work Formula would address the concerns raised by the nurses.
“We know nurses have been on strike for 43 days. It was because of the non-implementation of the 2017 CBA. We now have a RTWF,” he stated.
Nurses’ grievances addressed
Among the key issues raised by KNUN were the failure to conclude the CBA, the exclusion of nurses from the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) payroll with permanent and pensionable terms, and the refusal by Kisii County to reinstate nurses who had been relieved of their duties.
Abdullahi said UHC staff would now be employed on permanent and pensionable terms based on Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) rates, effective July 1, 2026.
He added that county governments agreed to absorb UHC staff on permanent and pensionable terms on condition that the gratuity component in their existing contracts was removed.
This means the employees’ compensation would consist of regular salaries and applicable benefits rather than the additional gratuity provided for under their previous contracts.
The CoG chairperson also said the council would coordinate the development of career guidelines for nurses.
“CoG will coordinate a model of career guidelines to be adopted within 45 days. Not later than 25 hours upon execution of the Return to Work Formula,” he added.
CoG welcomes nurses’ return to work
CoG Health Committee chairperson and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir welcomed the agreement, noting that prolonged health workers’ strikes have a direct impact on millions of Kenyans seeking medical services.
“When a strike occurs, those affected are not the ones involved in the strike but millions of Kenyans. The issues were signed in 2017. We are trying to look at today’s status and see what is applicable,” he remarked.
KNUN Secretary General Seth Panyako also welcomed the resolution, saying future disputes should be addressed through negotiations to avoid disruptions in healthcare services.
“Going on strike is not what everyone wants. Going forward, we should resolve issues without going on strike especially the health sector,” Panyako noted.
Nurses had camped at CoG offices
The 43-day strike had disrupted healthcare services in several counties, with nurses camping at the Council of Governors’ offices as they pushed for better terms and allowances.
On Tuesday, Abdullahi announced that county governments had made an offer to the nurses’ union as negotiations continued.
“Through the efforts of our health committee, I can report that we finally have a deal if they do not change their mind until the deal is signed. We offered them an increase in their risk allowance to Ksh.8,000 and we also offered them an increase of Ksh.5,000 in uniform allowance,” Abdullahi stated.
The Return to Work Formula is expected to pave the way for nurses to resume their duties while negotiations and implementation of the agreed measures continue.
