Clinicians, CoG, sign deal to end 36-day strike

The Council of Governors (CoG) and the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) have signed a return-to-work formula, bringing to an end a 36-day nationwide strike by clinical officers.

Under the agreement, all KUCO members are required to resume duty immediately and no later than 24 hours after the signing of the deal.

The strike, which had disrupted health services in public facilities across the country, officially ends following the signing of the return-to-work formula between the two parties.

“We urge the County Government to do their part; if they do so, we shall be there to support them when required. In that note, we have said that the strike has been suspended and the clinicians will resume work today, not past 24 hours. We shall issue a notice to our employer that we have directed the clinicians to go back to work,” KUCO Secretary General George Gibore said.

Earlier, members of KUCO on Wednesday held a demonstration outside the Ministry of Health headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi, intensifying an ongoing dispute over working conditions, pay and implementation of past agreements.

The peaceful protest saw clinical officers holding placards and chanting slogans as they called on the government to honour outstanding commitments on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and professional recognition for their cadre.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale directed the union to engage all relevant stakeholders to expand the current CBA.

Clinical officers say Kenya’s recurring health sector strikes are the result of unresolved disputes dating back several years, with past agreements remaining largely unimplemented.

KUCO Chairperson Peterson Wachira said repeated strikes stem from what he described as a pattern of broken commitments by the government.

Wachira said whenever clinical officers down tools, negotiations often lead to written commitments and timelines, but implementation rarely follows once workers resume duty.

“The intention has always been to take us back to work, not to resolve the issues. The dates pass, nothing is done, and trust between workers and employers has completely collapsed,” he said.

According to the union, the dispute dates back to 2017, revolving around the Career Progression Guidelines and a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), both products of negotiations following a 2017 strike.

He said while the process to develop the documents began in earnest in 2019, it stalled after disagreements with employers, leading to court battles involving the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors.

In 2021, clinical officers were ordered back to work by the courts, with directions that employers also resolve the outstanding issues.

Wachira claims this never happened, prompting further strikes and legal action. In August 2023, the court issued orders compelling negotiations and directed that the CBA and career guidelines be concluded by December 2023.

The union said the deadline passed without implementation, triggering another strike in 2024 that lasted 100 days, the longest in the union’s history.