Frontier Correspondent
Kiambu, Kenya.
After nearly five months of paralyzed health services, doctors in Kiambu County have finally ended their 151-day strike — one of the longest medical disputes in Kenya’s recent history — following the signing of a return-to-work agreement with the county government and the Council of Governors (CoG) on Friday.
The industrial action, which began on May 27, 2025, had crippled operations in public hospitals across the county, forcing patients to either seek costly private treatment or endure long queues in overcrowded emergency units.
The breakthrough came after emergency talks in Nairobi involving CoG Health Committee Chairperson Muthomi Njuki, Governor Kimani Wamatangi, and Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials. The deal addresses long-standing grievances including delayed salaries, stalled promotions, lack of medical cover, and non-remittance of union dues — restoring a sense of relief to the county’s 2.4 million residents.
The strike was triggered by the county government’s failure to honor a Return-to-Work Formula signed on May 8, 2024. About 100 doctors — nearly one-third of Kiambu’s medical workforce — walked out, severely disrupting services at Thika Level 5 and Kiambu County Referral Hospitals.
“This was one of the longest strikes in Kenya’s history,” said KMPDU Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atellah, explaining that the industrial action followed months of unpaid wages, unprocessed promotions, and lack of protective equipment. He added that the county had ignored a 21-day strike notice issued in May.
Tensions peaked in mid-October when the KMPDU petitioned the National Assembly, accusing the county of flouting employment laws and defying court rulings upholding the strike’s legality. With the threat of a nationwide solidarity strike looming, CoG stepped in to mediate a deal.
Under the new agreement, doctors will receive one month’s withheld salary plus October’s pay immediately upon resumption of duty on Monday, October 27. The county also committed to clear three months of arrears in the 2026/2027 financial year, resume statutory deductions, and reinstate union dues remittance.
The deal protects doctors from victimization and promises to fast-track promotions and medical insurance, though specific implementation timelines are still under review.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi described the agreement as a “win-win” outcome for both workers and residents, acknowledging that the county had temporarily hired 90 doctors and 200 nurses to sustain operations.
“Nothing replaces our dedicated staff,” Wamatangi said during the signing ceremony, expressing optimism that normalcy would return to health facilities by next week.
Dr. Atellah welcomed the resolution, calling it “a significant step forward” for the welfare of healthcare professionals but urged the county to uphold its commitments.
For residents, the strike’s end marks a long-awaited reprieve. Mary Wanjiku, a mother of three from Thika, said she had been forced to travel 20 kilometers for treatment at private clinics charging triple the normal cost.
“We have suffered enough, now we can breathe,” she said outside Thika Level 5 Hospital, where returning doctors were already triaging overflow cases.
The resolution mirrors other health labor disputes, such as the 41-day strike in Kakamega County in April 2024 and the nationwide doctors’ strike suspended in May 2024 over the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Health experts, however, caution that the frequent strikes underscore deeper structural flaws in Kenya’s devolved healthcare financing, including delayed disbursements and inadequate county budgets.
“This is not just paper — it’s a promise to our patients and our professionals,” Dr. Atellah summed up.