Kenyan nurses have called off their nationwide strike after 43 days of industrial action, following a return-to-work agreement with the Council of Governors. The strike, which began on July 29, 2026, disrupted healthcare services in public hospitals and left patients struggling to access essential medical care.
The nurses, through the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives, had been demanding the implementation of a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), better nursing and uniform allowances, career progression, and permanent and pensionable employment for some nurses. The union maintained that several promises made years ago had remained unfulfilled.
The situation became more critical as doctors threatened to join the strike, citing increased workloads as they covered for absent nurses. Nurses also demonstrated outside the Council of Governors offices, piling pressure on the two sides to reach an agreement.
Under the return-to-work agreement, nurses will resume duty within 24 hours, while the government and the union have been given 45 days to conclude negotiations on implementing the 2017 CBA. The agreement therefore ends the immediate standoff but leaves the substantive issues to be resolved during the 45-day negotiation period.