Nairobi health workers protest salary delays as county pledges payment soon

Hundreds of health workers under the Nairobi City County Government staged a protest on Thursday, demanding immediate payment of salaries.

The protesting workers said they are demanding their unpaid salaries since July, even as county officials moved to reassure them that funds would soon be released.

‎‎The march, organised by the Health Unions Secretariat, began at Jeevanjee Gardens and wound its way through Muindi Mbingu Street, Kenyatta Avenue and Wabera Street before converging at City Hall.

‎‎Union leaders armed with vuvuzelas, microphones and a live band walked side by side with nurses, clinical officers, dentists, laboratory technicians and nutritionists, all drawn from seven different unions.

‎‎The health workers noted that the persistent unresolved labour related and operational issues have created industrial disharmony between health workers and the Nairobi county government.

‎‎“We are being evicted from our houses, we can’t pay rent, we have no food, and we’re still expected to report to work. We don’t need new agreements. We just need the government to honour the ones they signed.”stated one protesting worker.

‎Union leaders accused the county of consistently failing to implement agreements meant to improve conditions for frontline workers despite numerous meetings and subsequent agreements.

‎Dr. Malindi Chao, secretary of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Nairobi Branch, described return-to-work agreements as ceremonial documents, adding that many employees lacked access to functional health insurance, leaving them vulnerable to the same medical risks they battle on behalf of patients every day.

‎Beyond unpaid wages, grievances stretched further. Workers complained of stalled career progression and years of delayed promotions.

‎Contract staff said they had been kept on three-year terms with no progress on Collective Bargaining Agreements. Others cited salary cuts under the SHA scheme and mandatory deductions linked to the government’s new housing levy.

‎Financial pressures have mounted as well. Several banks and SACCOs they note,have begun pursuing health workers over missed third-party deductions, which the county failed to remit.

‎Some workers said this has left them unable to access medical cover, while others reported struggling to contribute to funeral expenses for relatives.

‎“Many colleagues are unable to meet basic living expenses,” said Senior Clinical Officer Steven Muthama, calling the situation unsustainable.

‎He urged the county to honour its obligations, warning that health services in the capital were at risk.

‎Though union leaders stressed the demonstrations were peaceful, the threat of service disruptions loomed large over Nairobi’s public hospitals and clinics.

‎The Nairobi City County Government however, issued a statement confirming that salaries had been paid on Thursday but acknowledged that third-party deductions for August and the full September salary, including net pay and statutory deductions, remained pending.

‎Charles Kerich, the County Executive Committee Member for Finance,said the National Treasury assured the county that Nairobi’s equitable share allocation for September would be released in the first week of October.

‎“Once received, these funds will be applied immediately to clear the outstanding payments and bring salaries fully up to date,” he said.

‎‎He added that the challenge was not unique to Nairobi, noting that many counties were grappling with similar delays due to late national disbursements.

‎According to the Treasury, the delay was linked to the government’s prioritization of repaying maturing loans, a pressure point in Kenya’s strained public finances.

‎“We sincerely regret the delay and acknowledge the inconvenience it has caused,” Mr. Kerich said.

‎‎“We thank our healthcare workers for their patience and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring salary payments are regularized promptly once funds are disbursed,” he added.

‎For now, however, Nairobi’s health sector remains in a delicate standoff. Workers say they will not return to duty until they are fully paid, while county officials insist relief is on the horizon.

‎With hospitals already stretched thin, the dispute underscores both the vulnerability of frontline staff and the wider fiscal struggles facing devolved units across the country.

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