Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) was brought to a standstill on Thursday, October 2, as county health workers staged demonstrations over unpaid salaries. The striking workers directed their anger toward Governor Johnson Sakaja, accusing his administration of failing to honor previous agreements on salary payments.
The health workers, who have gone without pay for three months, began their march at Jevanjee Gardens before converging outside City Hall, where they camped at the governor’s office. They carried placards and chanted slogans demanding immediate settlement of their arrears.
According to the workers, Governor Sakaja has ignored repeated calls to address their grievances, leaving many of them struggling to provide for their families. “We cannot continue to serve patients while our own households go hungry. We have waited too long, and the governor has turned a deaf ear to our plight,” one protester said.
The strike has paralyzed essential health services in county facilities, with patients being turned away or forced to seek treatment in private hospitals. The workers insist that they will not return to work until their salaries are paid in full.
This latest standoff highlights the broader challenges facing county governments across Kenya, where delayed disbursements and strained budgets often leave frontline workers in limbo. For Nairobi, a city heavily dependent on public health services, the disruption could escalate into a full-blown crisis if the matter is not resolved swiftly.
Health workers have urged Governor Sakaja to act decisively, warning that prolonged inaction could further compromise service delivery and endanger lives. “We are not asking for favors; we are asking for what we have worked for,” another health worker emphasized.
As the protests continue, all eyes remain on City Hall and whether Governor Sakaja will meet the workers’ demands to restore normalcy in Nairobi’s health sector.
