Counties, KUCO sign new CBA after eight years of talks

County governments have executed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) after eight years of negotiations, marking what is described as a major step in strengthening labour relations at the county level.

The agreement establishes structures to oversee its rollout across counties.

A key provision is the formation of a “CBA Implementation monitoring Committee” tasked with tracking how the agreement is put into practice.

According to the document, the committee “shall be responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Agreement.” It will consist of nine members, with five representatives drawn from the employer side and four from the union.

The framework outlines how the committee will operate. It is required to meet regularly to address issues arising from the agreement.

The text states that the committee is required to convene “on a quarterly basis or on a need basis,” with the Chairperson responsible for convening meetings quarterly or as may be requested by either party.

All county governments have been urged to establish and operationalise the Implementation and Monitoring Committee.

The committee will handle “any emerging issue within the CBA,” ensuring the agreement is effectively supervised and implemented across county administrations.

The signing comes shortly after the union and the Council of Governors (CoG) agreed on a return-to-work formula on January 28, bringing to an end a 36-day nationwide strike by clinical officers.

Under that agreement, all KUCO members were required to resume duty immediately, and no later than 24 hours after the deal was signed.

The strike had disrupted health services in public facilities across the country.

KUCO Secretary General George Gibore said, “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.”

The industrial action followed demonstrations outside the Ministry of Health headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi, where clinical officers demanded the implementation of past agreements and professional recognition.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale directed the union to engage all relevant stakeholders to expand the current CBA, while KUCO Chairperson Peterson Wachira said repeated strikes stem from what he described as a pattern of broken commitments by the government.