Kenya’s public health system is facing the prospect of a wider shutdown after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) gave the government seven days to resolve the ongoing nurses’ strike, warning that doctors could join the industrial action if the standoff persists.
KMPDU Secretary-General Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah issued the ultimatum on September 7, saying the prolonged absence of nurses had placed an already stretched public healthcare system under severe pressure. He warned that doctors could no longer continue taking on responsibilities ordinarily performed by nurses.
“Doctors cannot do the nursing jobs,” Atellah said, arguing that the situation had become increasingly unsafe for both patients and health workers.
The warning raises the prospect of a much larger disruption in Kenya’s public hospitals, where nurses provide essential bedside care, administer medication, monitor patients and support doctors in almost every stage of treatment.
Nurses’ strike enters sixth week
The doctors’ warning comes as the nationwide nurses’ strike enters its sixth week.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives began the industrial action on July 29, 2026, following a breakdown in negotiations over the implementation of outstanding provisions in the nurses’ Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The dispute is largely rooted in commitments contained in the 2017 Return-to-Work Formula, which nurses say have not been fully implemented. The union has maintained pressure on both the national government and county governments to honour outstanding agreements on pay, working conditions and other employment issues.
KMPDU says the prolonged strike has left hospitals operating at what Atellah described as “bare minimum” capacity.
The union is particularly concerned about the consequences for patients who require continuous nursing care. According to Atellah, doctors are already in short supply, meaning the additional workload created by the nurses’ absence is placing unsustainable pressure on those remaining in hospitals.
KMPDU warns of growing risks to patients
The doctors’ union says the dispute has moved beyond a conventional labour disagreement and is now presenting a patient-safety concern.
Atellah claimed that the disruption had contributed to preventable complications and deaths, including among children and mothers, because some patients were unable to receive the nursing care required.
He said conditions that would ordinarily be manageable were deteriorating because hospitals could not function normally without sufficient nursing staff.
KMPDU has therefore called on the government to treat the situation with urgency rather than allow the strike to continue indefinitely.
The union’s argument is that nursing is not an auxiliary service within hospitals but one of the fundamental pillars of healthcare delivery. Without nurses, doctors may diagnose and prescribe treatment but cannot independently provide all the continuous care patients require.
Government under pressure to resolve dispute
The seven-day ultimatum places additional pressure on the government and county administrations, which share responsibility for Kenya’s public health services.
Council of Governors Chair Ahmed Abdullahi has previously urged striking nurses to return to work, while indicating that governors remained willing to continue negotiations over the outstanding issues.
The dispute has proved difficult because some of the nurses’ demands relate to agreements negotiated years ago and involve commitments that cut across successive administrations.
KMPDU has argued that agreements signed between health workers and government and subsequently deposited in court should be implemented. Atellah maintained that the government cannot treat the nurses’ grievances as new issues because many of them can be traced back to the 2017 agreements.
Doctors have grievances of their own
Although KMPDU’s immediate ultimatum is centred on the nurses’ strike, the doctors’ union also has unresolved grievances with government.
Atellah said doctors had been promised adjustments to their payslips in August, but the changes had not been implemented. He expressed hope that the outstanding adjustments would be reflected in September.
This is not the first time KMPDU has threatened industrial action this year.
In May, the union warned of a possible nationwide doctors’ strike over salary adjustments and delayed implementation of agreements. KMPDU demanded progress on a proposed 55 per cent salary increase and issued deadlines concerning basic salary adjustments under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The union subsequently engaged with the Council of Governors and secured a timeline for implementation of some of the outstanding salary adjustments.
The latest threat therefore comes against a backdrop of wider dissatisfaction within Kenya’s health workforce.
Nurses take protests to Nairobi
The nurses’ dispute was also expected to intensify on Tuesday, September 8, when thousands of nurses and midwives planned to march through Nairobi.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives notified police of a procession involving health workers from all 47 counties. The union said it expected approximately 200 nurses from each county, potentially bringing the number of participants to about 9,400.
The planned demonstration was intended to put further pressure on the Council of Governors to resolve the outstanding issues.
The timing adds another layer to the standoff, with nurses maintaining their industrial action while doctors warn that they could soon join them.
Seven days to avert a wider crisis
KMPDU’s ultimatum has now placed the government on a tight deadline.
If the nurses’ dispute remains unresolved after seven days, the doctors’ union has indicated that it could issue a strike notice and potentially take its members out of public hospitals.
Such a development would significantly deepen the disruption already affecting Kenya’s healthcare system.
Doctors and nurses perform different functions, but their work is deeply interconnected. A prolonged absence of either group makes it difficult for hospitals to maintain normal operations, particularly in emergency departments, maternity wards, surgical units and inpatient care.
For patients, the stakes are particularly high.
The government therefore faces growing pressure to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table and find a settlement that addresses the nurses’ longstanding grievances without triggering another nationwide doctors’ strike.
For now, KMPDU has given the government seven days.
The countdown has begun, and unless a breakthrough is reached, Kenya could soon be facing a much broader healthcare crisis.
