Kenya's public health officers suspend nationwide strike for 30 days to allow talks

Public health officers in Kenya have suspended their 94-day nationwide strike for 30 days to make room for negotiations with the government, the Kenyan news site Kenyans.co.ke reported on 25 October.

Brown Ashira, secretary general of the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union, announced the decision in Kitui County after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale agreed to facilitate talks. He told officers, including those at border points and in county governments, to resume duty within 24 hours.

The union signed a return-to-work formula with the Kitui County government and expects comprehensive talks with the national government within the 30 days. It said rising Ebola cases in the country were partly behind the decision.

The union is demanding:

• formal government recognition of the union;
• finalising, signing and implementing the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement;
• recruiting more officers, posting them nationwide and paying interns;
• moving contractual and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) jobs to permanent and pensionable terms;
• paying risk allowances and improving working conditions;
• no transfer of personnel and assets to the Kenya National Public Health Institute without consulting stakeholders or giving it an independent budget.

On 21 October, officers protested in Nairobi. "We are on strike, but we have not seen anybody from the Ministry of Health come to address us," Ashira said at the time, as quoted by The Star.

In August, Duale blamed county governments for delays in putting more than 7,400 UHC workers on payrolls. He said KSh 8.6 billion had been allocated for the transition.

Months earlier, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who chaired the Council of Governors until 12 October, had accused the Ministry of Health of fuelling repeated health worker strikes by not honouring agreements.