Relief as Nurses’ 41-Day Strike Ends Following Emergency Talks Between Governors and Union Officials

Kenya, 9 September 2026 - The pain, suffering and agony endured for 41 days in Kenya following the nurses’ strike came to an end on Wednesday after the Council of Governors (CoG) convened an emergency meeting with union officials.

The nurses' demand of harmonisation of salaries across all cadre is now something they can be proud of as government officials commit towards implementing that demand.

Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), Seth Panyako called off the strike in a joint presser with CoG.

He cited powers conferred to him by the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Article 41 of the Constitution which protects labour relations and guarantees fair labour practices for every person.

"I hereby declare the strike that commenced on the 29th day of July 2026 is hereby called off and I hence direct our members to resume duty immediately and in any case, not later than 24 hours from now," Panyako stated.

Speaking earlier during a morning show dubbed Fixing the Nation on NTV and Nation FM, Panyako acknowledged that patients had suffered during the strike but urged leaders tasked with responsibilities to ensure that the nurses’ plight is addressed.

“If we have a deal that is agreeable to us that we can present to our members… you know health is not like… like teachers. Health is very critical. If a deal is realised today, we will of course be giving our members about 24 hours to report to their places of work. But for those who live within the hospital, they should report to work immediately because people are dying and people are suffering. We can’t afford to stay at home for 24 hours and our people are dying,” Panyako said.

He was flanked by Council of Governors Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, who also chairs the Health Committee of the Council of Governors, among other leaders.

Panyako revealed that the invitation to the meeting arrived on short notice that morning, forcing him to quickly mobilize his colleagues to prepare.

Governor Abdullahi on Tuesday had preempted that under the proposed deal, nurses will receive an additional KSh 8,000 in risk allowance and KSh 5,000 in uniform allowance, bringing the proposed increase in the two allowances to KSh 13,000.

“Through the effort of our health committee, I can report that we finally have a deal if they do not change their mind until when the deal is signed. We offered them an increase in their risk allowance to KSh 8,000 and we also offered them an increase of KSh 5,000 in uniform allowance,” Abdullahi, who is also the Wajir Governor, announced during the 13th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit chaired by President William Ruto.