Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Machakos branch Secretary Michael Saka with other Union Officials during a Press briefing on August 8, 2025. Photo Virginia Siebella 
By Virginia Siebela and Andrew Mbuva
Patients seeking medical services in Machakos County are staring at a health crisis after nurses officially began their strike on Thursday night, plunging operations in public health facilities into disarray.
The healthcare workers, led by the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Machakos branch, accuse the county government of failing to honor a return-to-work agreement signed earlier this year, among other grievances.
Michael Saka, the branch secretary of KNUN, said the strike was inevitable after months of unfruitful dialogue with the county government.
“Our bare minimum is simple—let them address the agreement we had with them on 20th January 2025,” said Saka during a press briefing held at Machakos Level 5 Hospital.
He disclosed that despite issuing a nationwide strike notice on May 29 listing nine demands—including implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), non-remittance of statutory deductions, delayed promotions, and salary adjustments per the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) circular—the county government has not acted in good faith.
“On January 10, we issued a strike notice, and on January 20, we met with county officials and suspended the strike after agreeing on a return-to-work formula. Unfortunately, the county has since disowned the very agreement that was signed by the County Secretary, Chair of the Public Service Board, and our officers,” he revealed.
According to the union, promotions—one of the core issues—have been unjustifiably delayed. The county is now allegedly proposing to promote only those who have stagnated for more than ten years.
“We are wondering which circular is being used because that was never part of our agreement. Promotions are our rights and should never be treated as favors,” emphasized Saka.
The union is also questioning the status of loan deductions. Despite claims that the county government has been receiving funds to settle staff loans, many nurses remain three months in arrears, causing anxiety and frustration.
“We spent the whole day in a meeting today Thursday, only to find that despite loan deductions being made, the loans have not been serviced. We are not even sure whether this month’s deductions will be paid,” Saka lamented.
The nurses have vowed not to resume work until the county fulfills all the items agreed upon in the return-to-work formula, including salary adjustments based on the 2024 SRC circular, and fair, timely promotions across the board.
“No services will be offered in any county health facility until our demands are met,” Saka declared, urging residents to understand the nurses’ position and direct their frustrations to the county leadership.
The nurses’ strike follows a similar action by laboratory technicians and doctors last week, who downed their tools over related grievances. However, they resumed work after behind-the-scenes talks with county officials.
As the strike enters its first full day, residents of Machakos are now left in limbo, with the sick and vulnerable bearing the brunt of what is fast becoming a full-blown healthcare paralysis.
The county government has yet to issue a formal response to the nurses' strike.
