Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) have commenced an industrial strike after negotiations with the hospital’s management failed to resolve a dispute over staff welfare and employment conditions, disrupting services at Kenya’s largest national referral hospital.
The strike began with nurses demonstrating outside the hospital, carrying placards and demanding the implementation of what they describe as long-standing commitments on salaries, promotions, staffing and employment terms. The industrial action is being led by the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), which says repeated engagements with the employer have not yielded a satisfactory resolution.
The union has cited delayed salary payments, stalled promotions, pension-related concerns, continued reliance on contract employment for some nurses and chronic understaffing among the key issues behind the strike. According to KNUNM, these concerns have persisted despite previous discussions with the hospital and relevant government agencies.
“Our members have exercised patience, but the issues affecting them remain unresolved. We cannot continue working under these conditions,” the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives said while announcing the commencement of the strike.
The industrial action has affected service delivery across several departments, with patients reporting delays in receiving treatment as nurses stayed away from duty. KNH, which serves as Kenya’s main referral and teaching hospital, receives patients from across the country, making any disruption to its operations significant for the national healthcare system.
Hospital management has previously acknowledged that discussions with union representatives have been ongoing and has maintained that efforts are being made to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
In an earlier statement, Kenyatta National Hospital said it remained committed to engaging staff representatives in accordance with labour laws and established dispute resolution mechanisms.
“The hospital remains committed to dialogue and to ensuring continuity of essential healthcare services while addressing staff concerns through the appropriate channels,” KNH said in previous communication on labour relations.
The strike comes against the backdrop of recurring labour disputes in Kenya’s public health sector, where healthcare workers have repeatedly raised concerns over delayed remuneration, staffing shortages, promotions and the implementation of collective bargaining agreements.
Healthcare unions have consistently argued that staffing shortages place additional pressure on frontline workers and affect the quality and timeliness of patient care. The Ministry of Health has previously acknowledged the need to strengthen the health workforce while urging parties involved in labour disputes to pursue negotiated settlements that safeguard essential medical services.
As the strike continues, patients requiring non-emergency services are expected to experience delays until an agreement is reached. It remains unclear how long the industrial action will last, with both the union and hospital management expected to continue negotiations aimed at restoring normal operations.
The latest strike underscores the recurring challenge of balancing labour relations with uninterrupted healthcare delivery at Kenya’s largest public referral hospital, where thousands of patients seek treatment every day.