Nurses Call Off 43-Day Strike After Deal With Governors

The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has called off its nationwide strike after 43 days, bringing an end to the prolonged industrial action that disrupted healthcare services across the country.

The union made the announcement on Wednesday, September 9, following a day-long closed-door meeting with the Council of Governors.

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.

The strike began on July 29, 2026, after nurses and midwives downed their tools over issues affecting their employment and working conditions.

Nurses Ordered to Resume Duty

Panyako directed nurses and midwives to return to their stations immediately to support the smooth running of health facilities.

“I urge the electoral members to resume duty immediately and in any case not later than 24 hours from now,” he added.

The directive means nurses are expected to resume their duties immediately or within 24 hours.

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Union Had Demanded Better Allowances

The strike had left healthcare services disrupted for nearly five weeks as nurses pushed for better pay and improved allowances.

The nurses had also camped at the Council of Governors (CoG) offices earlier this week, vowing to remain there every day until their grievances were addressed.

On Tuesday September 8, the CoG indicated that a deal with the striking nurses was within reach after making an offer to address some of their demands.

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CoG Offers Ksh13,000 in Allowances

CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi said nurses had been offered an additional Ksh8,000 in risk allowance and Ksh5,000 in uniform allowance.

The proposed increases would bring the total additional amount for 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.

Doctors’ Strike Averted

The resolution of the nurses’ strike has also averted a potential industrial action by doctors.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) had issued a seven-day notice over the nurses’ dispute, warning that doctors could also down their tools if the prolonged strike was not resolved.

The doctors’ union had raised concerns over the disruption of services in public hospitals and the additional workload placed on doctors and other healthcare workers during the nurses’ strike.

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Photo of Seth Panyako during the Malava By-elections
PHOTO/FILE.