The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has given 17 county governments 21 days to implement agreed salary adjustments for doctors or risk a strike that could disrupt services in public health facilities.
The union issued the notice on Wednesday, November 4, warning that doctors in the affected counties will withdraw their services from November 25, 2026, if the changes are not reflected in their payslips by then.
KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah said the counties had failed to honour commitments made under agreements reached with doctors, despite being directed to implement the adjustments. The dispute centres on changes to doctors’ basic salaries that the union says should already have been put in place.
According to KMPDU, the Council of Governors issued a directive on July 22, 2026, asking all counties to include the adjustments in doctors’ August payslips. The union says 30 of the country’s 47 counties have complied, while the remaining 17 are yet to make the changes.
The union maintains that the salary adjustments are part of commitments contained in a return-to-work formula signed on May 8, 2024, a court order issued on the same date and an additional agreement signed on December 19, 2024. It says the national government released funds to county governments through the 2025/2026 equitable share allocation to support implementation.
KMPDU also says it gave the affected counties an extra three months to comply and sent reminder letters in October, but the efforts did not produce the expected action. Atellah said the union would not enter into fresh negotiations because the issue is about implementing agreements that have already been reached.
The 17 counties named in the strike notice are Murang’a, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Lamu, Taita-Taveta, Tana River, Machakos, Makueni, Laikipia, Narok, Kajiado, Embu, Isiolo, Meru and Vihiga.
The union is calling on the county governments to make the adjustments in full before the deadline. If they fail to do so, doctors in the affected areas are expected to stop working from November 25.
A strike would put pressure on county health services and could affect patients who depend on public hospitals for treatment. The counties therefore have until the notice expires to resolve the pay dispute and prevent a possible interruption of medical services.