NAIROBI, Kenya- Clinical Officers working for County health facilities on Monday inked a deal with the Council of Governors, ending a 99-Day strike.
They will resume work on Tuesday, while their counterparts working for the National Government will carry on with the strike.
The strike, which began on April 1, was brought to a close following successful negotiations with the Council of Governors.
KUCO Secretary General George Gibore announced the end of the strike during a press conference on Monday, confirming that a return-to-work formula had been signed.
“By virtue of signing this return to work agreement, we are officially declaring that our strike has come to an end. Our members shall resume duty in their respective places of work starting today, and not later than 24 hours from now,” Gibore stated.
The clinicians had been on strike since April 1, citing numerous grievances. The Employment and Labour Relations Court had previously ordered the employers to reach a return-to-work agreement by June 25, following a prolonged period of stalled negotiations.
Despite this directive, the strike persisted as many of the clinicians’ demands remained unaddressed.
Key issues highlighted by the union included the need for permanent and pensionable terms for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff hired during the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruitment of over 20,000 qualified clinical officers to address the existing shortage, and comprehensive medical cover for all actively serving clinical officers in the public sector.
“The issue has been implementation and prioritization; there are no resources even to put the healthcare workers in a comprehensive medical cover that can guarantee them the medical services they offer,” Gibore explained.
The government had previously cited a lack of resources as a barrier to meeting these demands, particularly concerning the employment of additional healthcare workers and their promotions.
However, the recent negotiations with the Council of Governors appear to have resolved some of these critical issues, allowing the strike to be called off.
