The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has reaffirmed that its planned nationwide strike will go ahead as scheduled on July 7, 2025, citing the government’s continued failure to address longstanding grievances affecting healthcare workers across the country.
Union Secretary General Seth Panyako stated that the strike is inevitable unless urgent action is taken by both national and county governments to resolve nine key issues that were outlined in a 26-day strike notice issued earlier this month. Panyako has summoned members of the union’s National Advisory Council to a crucial meeting next Friday to ratify the strike action.
“We have invited the National Advisory Council to a meeting to ratify the Nationwide Strike Notice, which is set to commence on 7th July, 2025. The Members of the Union are hereby requested to continue mobilising in order to ensure 100 per cent participation in the Strike,” said Panyako.
Among the union’s core demands is the conversion of nurses employed under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program to permanent and pensionable terms. The union argues that the current contractual arrangement under which these nurses serve is exploitative and unsustainable, contributing to growing disparities and insecurity within the public healthcare system.
The union has also decried the unsafe and unfavorable working conditions that many nurses continue to endure, warning that these circumstances undermine the quality of healthcare delivery in public facilities.
To facilitate preparations for the upcoming strike, the union has instructed all Nursing Officers in charge to grant healthcare workers three days off duty—from June 26 to June 28—to allow them to attend the upcoming meeting that will finalize plans for the industrial action.
Despite ongoing appeals from various stakeholders to avert the looming crisis, KNUNM insists the strike will proceed unless concrete steps are taken to address the nurses’ concerns. With time running out, the pressure is now on the government to engage meaningfully with the union and avert a nationwide healthcare disruption that could severely affect service delivery.
