Nurses return to hospitals as health bodies demand urgent recovery after 43-day strike
National Nurses Association of Kenya Offices
Healthcare professional associations have welcomed the end of the nurses’ 43-day strike, calling for urgent measures to restore services, clear patient backlogs and strengthen Kenya’s health system.
The associations said the agreement between the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) and the Council of Governors (CoG) would bring relief to patients, healthcare workers and the wider public health system.
Speaking on behalf of the professional bodies, National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) President Collins Otieno Ajwang said the resolution had ended weeks of disruption to essential health services.
“We commend the union leadership and county governments for choosing constructive dialogue to break the weeks-long deadlock. Nurses are central to patient care and account for nearly 70 per cent of Kenya’s health workforce,” Ajwang said.
Nurses resume duty across 47 counties
The professional associations said nurses across all 47 counties were returning to their clinical stations with a renewed focus on restoring health services.
They said priority would be given to critical areas including maternal, neonatal, emergency and specialised care.
The associations urged facility managers and health administration teams to support healthcare teams as they work to clear service backlogs and attend to patients whose care may have been delayed during the strike.
“The return of nurses to health facilities across the country is an important step towards restoring continuity of care,” the associations said.
They added that patient safety and quality of care must remain at the centre of the recovery process.
Health workforce concerns remain
The professional bodies said the end of the strike should mark a turning point in health workforce governance and planning.
They urged the national and county governments, including the Council of Governors, to honour commitments made under the agreement and address healthcare workers’ concerns in a timely manner.
The associations warned that resolving workforce grievances early through constructive dialogue would help build confidence among healthcare workers and reduce the risk of future disruptions.
They noted that the 43-day strike had demonstrated how prolonged industrial action can affect essential services and patient care.
“This agreement should not be viewed as the end of the conversation, but as an opportunity to address the vulnerabilities that contributed to this prolonged disruption,” the associations said.
They called for predictable health workforce financing, improved welfare and terms for healthcare workers serving under Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes, as well as adequate resources and better working environments.
The professional bodies said they were ready to work with the Ministry of Health, Council of Governors, Parliament and other health-sector partners to advance policy reforms.
They said the goal was to strengthen a healthcare system that puts patients, safety and quality care at the centre.
