Health workers protest 16 months without pay, urge government action
National
By
Juliet Omelo
| Nov 21, 2025
A group of Kenyan clinical and laboratory health workers who have been serving the country for more than 15 years under the Global Fund TB Programme gathered called on the government to absorb them into permanent and pensionable positions.
They gathered outside the Ministry of Health on Tuesday and urged the government to fulfil the long-standing promise.
The demonstration, led by Peterson Wachira, National Chairman of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, brought together clinical officers and laboratory staff from 31 counties.
Wachira said the workers have been providing essential services since the height of the HIV and TB epidemics in Kenya, often under challenging conditions, including inadequate remuneration.
“These officers have been working diligently for 16 years, treating Kenyans and helping manage the scourge of HIV and TB. Yet, for the past 16 months, 91 of our officers have been left without pay. They have endured immense suffering, watching their children go without school and struggling to meet basic needs,” Wachira noted.
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According to the union, the workers were initially employed through a collaboration between the Global Fund and the Ministry of Health.
“Agreements were made that, upon the exit of the Global Fund, the government would absorb them. However, many county-based officers were excluded, leaving them in financial and professional limbo,” he said.
He noted that the human cost of the unpaid dues has been severe.
Leah Sogoti, a clinical officer from Trans Nzoia County, recounted the struggles faced by her colleagues, saying that it has not been easy surviving without pay while their families look to them for provision.
“Some of our members cannot afford transport to even attend this protest. One colleague, Gladys Rimuyi, tragically took her own life and that of her child last year due to depression caused by these conditions,” she said.
Jojo Othiambo, another clinical officer from Migori County, emphasised the systemic neglect that he said has long discriminated against them.
“We have petitioned the Ministry of Health, the Treasury, and the Public Service Commission multiple times, yet no solution has been provided. This is pure negligence,” he said.
Parliamentary Committee on Health Chairperson Dr. James Nyikal however acknowledged the frustrations and said the committee would take up the matter, urging the workers to bring forward all outstanding concerns.
He added that the committee would push for the issue to be addressed comprehensively and tied to ongoing discussions on Universal Health Coverage.
“I will do what is possible and get it done. We want this thing done all together financially. We have to put it together with the UHC so that it is done once and for all. And if there are other workers still on some contract and we do not know what is going to happen, it is better to bring those issues now so that even if big money is needed, let’s talk about it at once,” he said.
The union criticised the discrimination of the officers asserting that the treatment of these health workers violates their constitutional rights.
This series of protests highlights broader issues of contract worker welfare and the challenges of transitioning health staff in Kenya’s devolved system.