Kenya Healthcare Associations Welcome End of Nurses’ 43-day Strike, Call for Urgent Health System Recovery
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 11 – Healthcare professional associations across Kenya have welcomed the official end of weeks-long nurses’ industrial action following an agreement reached between the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) and the Council of Governors (CoG) on September 9, 2026.
The resolution brings an end to a standoff which began on July 29 that had paralyzed essential medical operations across public health facilities in all 47 counties.
National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) President Mr. Collins Otieno Ajwang while speaking on behalf of the collective professional bodies noted that calling off the strike provides immediate relief to millions of patients, frontline healthcare practitioners, and the broader public health system.
“We commend the union leadership and county governments for choosing constructive dialogue to break the weeks-long deadlock,” said Mr. Ajwang.
“Nurses are central to patient care and account for nearly 70 per cent of Kenya’s health workforce. The end of the strike means that care can now be restored for millions of Kenyans who depend on public health facilities.”
While acknowledging that the industrial action highlighted longstanding workforce and welfare concerns, professional bodies emphasized that the immediate focus must shift toward clinical recovery, managing backlogs, and reinforcing health-system resilience.
Nurses across all 47 counties are reporting back to their clinical posts with renewed commitment, prioritizing high-risk units including: Maternal and Neonatal Care, Emergency and Trauma Units and Specialized Outpatient and Inpatient Services
“The return of nurses to health facilities across the country is an important step towards restoring continuity of care,” the joint statement emphasized.
“As professional bodies, our primary concern remains the safety and quality of care. We therefore call on facility managers and health administration teams to support care teams as they work to clear service backlogs, manage patients whose care may have been delayed and stabilise service delivery.”
Further, Healthcare leaders underscored that the resolution should serve as a turning point for health workforce governance, urging both county and national governments to strictly honor all commitments embedded in the return-to-work agreement.
The associations warned that addressing workforce grievances proactively through early, constructive dialogue is vital to building trust, maintaining care continuity, and preventing future disruptions to essential health services.
“This agreement should not be viewed as the end of the conversation, but as an opportunity to address the vulnerabilities that contributed to this prolonged disruption”.
“Moving forward, the focus must remain on ensuring predictable health workforce financing, addressing the welfare and terms of healthcare workers serving under Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes, and providing healthcare workers with the resources, support and working environment required to deliver safe and dignified care.”
The Professional associations reaffirmed their commitment to partner with the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors, Parliament, and health-sector stakeholders to drive lasting policy reforms that keep patient care and clinical excellence at the core of Kenya’s health system.
