Kenyan Doctors Threaten To Join Nurses' Six-Week Strike, Give Government Seven-Day Ultimatum

NAIROBI, Kenya — Doctors warned on Tuesday that they could join a nurses' walkout now in its sixth week, saying the ongoing strike has increased workloads and disrupted services across county hospitals.

The nurses are demanding implementation of a collective bargaining agreement signed in 2017 after a six-month strike. The national government says the deal has not been implemented because of budgetary constraints.

Kenyan nurses and other health workers demonstrate over low pay in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah, secretary-general of the doctors' union, said medics are overstretched and "cannot do the nursing jobs," noting that hospitals already face shortages of doctors and that patient care depends on coordinated teamwork among health workers.

"We will not watch silently as the healthcare system we have dedicated our lives to serving is allowed to deteriorate. When one part of healthcare is compromised, we all suffer. And when we stand together, we protect our patients together,"

On Tuesday, hundreds of nurses marched to the offices of the Council of Governors — the body that coordinates Kenya's 47 county governments — as county leaders and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) prepared to meet to discuss pay and allowances.

Kenyan nurses and other health workers demonstrate over low pay in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Atellah said the doctors' union has given the national government seven days to resolve the nurses' concerns; if talks fail, doctors will issue a formal strike notice.

Seth Panyako, head of the nurses' union, told reporters that successive budgets have not prioritized healthcare and that the government's claim of insufficient funds to implement the 2017 agreement is unfair to nurses who continue to provide services.

Kenyan nurses and other health workers demonstrate over low pay in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

James Murimi, a nurse who joined Tuesday's march, said the earlier return-to-work deal was meant to upgrade uniforms and nursing service allowances. "These allowances have not been improved and have accumulated for nine years," Murimi said, adding that counties and the national government owe nurses arrears.

Ahmed Abdullahi, chair of the Council of Governors, last week urged nurses to call off the strike and allow negotiations to continue. He noted a court ruling that called the strike illegal and warned that individual county governments could take action against staff who stay off the job.

Kenyan nurses hold a Kenyan flag and a doll during a protest over low pay in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

The Senate on Tuesday discussed reports of closures of hospital dispensaries in some counties. Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei warned of a "surge in deaths," blaming the Council of Governors and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission for what he described as a national crisis.

Outlook

With patient care affected and political pressure rising, the standoff puts urgent focus on government budgeting decisions and the ability of national and county leaders to reach a rapid settlement. If doctors join the strike, disruptions to health services could deepen, prompting renewed calls for emergency talks.