County Secretary and Head of Public Service, Dr. Muya Ndambuki addressing the Media together with County Executive Committee Member for Health, Justus Kasivu. Photo Gvns Press. 
By Andrew Mbuva
Machakos County Government has moved to assure residents that the ongoing nurses’ strike is part of a nationwide industrial action, not a crisis isolated to the county.
County Secretary and Head of Public Service, Dr. Muya Ndambuki, speaking today, clarified that the strike was called by the national union of nurses in May, and is not confined to Machakos.
“Yes, we have a strike by the nursing fraternity in this county, but it is important to put it on record that this is a nationwide strike. Yesterday, in the media, it appeared as if it was a strike by the nurses of Machakos County only,” Dr. Ndambuki said.
Highlighting the county’s investments in health personnel, Dr. Ndambuki noted that in 2023, 422 health workers were promoted—132 of them nurses. In 2024, 57 nurses were recruited, followed by 183 more in 2025. Between February and May this year, the county government promoted 231 nurses, “cutting across from the common cadre to those about to retire.”
He revealed that an active advertisement is currently running to recruit 42 more nurses, with a commitment to promote all nurses who have gone over seven years without promotion in the 2026/2027 financial year.
However, Dr. Ndambuki pointed out that negotiations with the striking nurses had been dominated by two major issues: failure to implement the 2024 Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) salary structure and the return-to-work formula signed in November 2017.
“From the way the negotiations were going, it was clear these were people determined to proceed with the strike. It was clear they were not for finding a solution,” he said.
Dr. Ndambuki added that some health policies are still controlled at the national level, creating challenges for counties. “Sometimes there could be directives from the national government with monetary implications but without the accompanying resources. This becomes a weight hung on the necks of county governments,” he said, urging leaders to “be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”
He appealed to the striking nurses to “look back and put the interests of the people first, calibrate their demands downwards, and get back to the negotiating table without unnecessary drama.”
Echoing these sentiments, County Executive Committee Member for Health, Justus Kasivu, assured residents that health services remain available despite the strike.
“We are offering services here at Level 5 and all other facilities across the county because apart from the nurses, all the other cadres are on duty. Doctors, clinical officers, and laboratory staff are working, and we have also brought in nurses on locum to stand in for those on strike,” Kasivu said.
He further assured nurses willing to resume duty of their safety. “We have a big number of nurses who want to come back to work, and we are telling them they are free to do so as negotiations continue,” he said, adding that the county has sufficient medicines in stock.
The county’s intervention comes just hours after Senator Agnes Kavindu called for immediate action to end the strike, citing the suffering of patients in local hospitals.
