By Eddah Waithaka
Nairobi’s public health services are facing severe disruption as thousands of healthcare workers are slowing down or refusing to report to work after the county government again failed to pay their salaries on time.
The Health Unions Caucus, which represents the workers, today directed its members to take action because the Nairobi City County Government has not paid August salaries or remitted July and August third-party deductions.
The county has also broken a specific agreement to pay all workers by the 5th of every month.This crisis stems from a Return-to-Work Agreement signed on August 1, 2025.
That day, the unions threatened to strike, prompting the county management to commit in writing to paying all salaries by the 5th of each month.
The county has now violated that agreement.The financial strain is crippling frontline workers. Many now cannot afford basic commuting costs to get to hospitals and clinics, leaving facilities dangerously understaffed.
“This is not a strike out of choice, but a last resort forced by the county’s continued breach of trust and failure to honor agreements,” a union statement read.
The unions have advised members to “slow down their services and, where commuting is impossible, to stay at home until their salaries are credited.”
The union warns that delayed salaries critically endanger patient safety by understaffing facilities, plummet worker morale to an all-time low which undermines care quality, and prevent employees from affording basic needs like food, rent, and their children’s school fees.
The Unions Caucus now demands immediate action from the Nairobi City County Government to release all delayed salaries and deductions, calls upon the National Government and Ministry of Health to intervene and stabilize the critical health system, and urges the public and civil society to stand in solidarity with healthcare workers fighting for their rightfully earned wages.
“Healthcare workers are the backbone of Nairobi’s health system. Without timely salaries, their ability to serve is crippled, and ultimately, it is the people of Nairobi who suffer most,” the union stated.
As of now, the Nairobi City County Government has not issued a public statement on when it will disburse the owed funds.
