NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 31 — The Council of Governors (CoG) has urged nurses to call off their ongoing strike, with Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi saying the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was signed under duress, was never implemented and is financially unsustainable.
Abdullahi, who is also the Wajir Governor, said county governments cannot commit to implementing an agreement whose financial implications cannot be sustained within available resources.
The CoG chairperson called on nurses to return to work and allow negotiations over their outstanding grievances to continue, as the nationwide strike continues to disrupt services in public health facilities.
The nurses have maintained that they will not return to work until key demands, including implementation of the 2017 return-to-work formula, conclusion of the current CBA, career progression guidelines and permanent and pensionable terms for Universal Health Coverage workers, are addressed.
Abdullahi has previously defended the position of governors on the employment of UHC workers, saying counties need a sustainable funding framework before committing to permanent and pensionable terms.
“We are all in agreement that UHC staff ought to be PnP. All we are saying is that the money must be in perpetuity, this year, next year and 20 years from now,” Abdullahi said in an earlier statement on the dispute.
The CoG has also argued that negotiations on a new CBA should continue through dialogue, rather than through industrial action.
The nurses’ strike, which began on July 29, has affected health services in counties across the country, with patients reporting disruptions and delays in accessing treatment. The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has insisted that the strike will continue until outstanding agreements are implemented.
The union has said its demands include implementation of the 2017 return-to-work agreement, conclusion and implementation of the nurses’ CBA, adoption of career progression guidelines and absorption of UHC workers into permanent and pensionable employment.
The dispute has put pressure on county governments to find a solution to the long-running disagreements with nurses, amid growing concern over the impact of the strike on patients.
The CoG’s latest appeal comes after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki also called on governors and the nurses’ union to urgently resolve the dispute, warning that prolonged disruption of health services could hurt Kenya’s development agenda.
Kindiki urged both sides to prioritise dialogue and reach an agreement that addresses the concerns of nurses while restoring normal healthcare services.
The standoff now leaves the CoG and the nurses’ union under renewed pressure to reach a negotiated settlement, with patients continuing to bear the consequences of the prolonged industrial action.
