The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has issued a strike notice in response to what it describes as the Ministry of Health and county governments' reluctance to address its members' grievances.
In a statement on Tuesday November 3, KUCO Secretary General George Gibore said that the clinical officers would down their tools after 21 days, on Monday December 22, if action was not taken.
Despite signing a return-to-work agreement with the Ministry of Health on July 24, 2023, Gibore said that the ministry has still failed to sign the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which would pave the way for the return-to-work agreement and court registrations.
Furthermore, he said that several county governments have also refused to implement the revised remuneration structure recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), as well as settle all accompanying arrears.
"This act not only undermines the spirit of dialogue and mutual respect but also erodes the trust we have tried to build through the negotiation process. It is in this regard that we are now left with no option but to issue this 21-day strike notice with effect from the date of this letter," KUCO stated.
"Should the Ministry of Health and the County Governments fail to satisfactorily address these issues during the intervening period, commence implementation of the said agreements, ALL our members shall withdraw their services and commence industrial action without further notice, effective Monday, December 22, 2025, midnight," it added.
The union has urged the ministry and the Council of Governors to set a date for the signing of the concluded Collective Bargaining Agreement and the resumption of the CBA negotiations before the 21-day ultimatum lapses.
"On 27th July, 2024, the Ministry of Health and this Union signed a return to work agreement to give effect to the conclusion of CBA negotiations, signing and subsequent Court registrations within sixty days from the date of the said agreement," the letter read.
"It is most unfortunate and concerning to us that despite parties having concluded the negotiations, the Ministry of Health is reluctant to the signing of the same to pave the way for Court registration and implementation," it added.
The announcement came just hours after doctors in Siaya county downed tools, following an alleged attack on a young medic by a senior county official on Sunday, November 30.
In a letter directed to the County's secretary and Head of Public Service, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), Nyanza Branch Secretary Aggrey Orwenyo said that the attack contravened international standards.
Orwenyo said that the strike will remain in force until the county government, led by Siaya Governor James Orengo, takes the appropriate action against the county official responsible for the attack and lays strategies to ensure that such incidents don't recur.
"The attack contravenes the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 155 on Occupational Safety and Health (1981), which obligates employers and governments to ensure that workplaces are safe and free from violence, intimidation, and hazards.”
