Clinical officers across Kenya have begun a nationwide strike after the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) confirmed that the industrial action started at midnight on Monday, July 20, 2026.
In a communiqué issued on Sunday, July 19, 2026, KUCO Secretary-General and CEO George M. Gibore said the strike will go ahead in all 47 counties. He attributed the decision to the Ministry of Health and county governments’ alleged failure to address the union’s grievances, despite receiving both a 21-day demand notice and a further 14-day strike notice.
Union Says Government Ignored Its Notices
The union said the government did not provide a meaningful response to the concerns raised, leaving members with no alternative but to withdraw their labour.
“The Ministry of Health and the forty-seven county governments ignored our twenty-one-day demand notice and have equally failed to respond meaningfully to the subsequent fourteen-day strike notice. Our grievances, therefore, remain unresolved,” part of the statement reads.
KUCO urged all clinical officers to stay united, disciplined, and fully prepared as the nationwide strike takes effect. The union also instructed branch officials to mobilise members and keep close contact with the national office to ensure the industrial action runs uniformly across the country.
KUCO Warns Against Separate County Talks
The union further warned members against joining separate county-level meetings called by county labour officers without written authorization from the secretary-general. KUCO argued that the matters listed in the strike notice concern national issues and must therefore be negotiated centrally.
“No branch official or member is authorized to negotiate, vary, compromise, suspend, or withdraw any matter contained in the national strike notice,” the communiqué stated.
KUCO argued that breaking negotiations into county-level discussions would only slow efforts to resolve the dispute and undermine the union’s collective bargaining push.
The union closed by reiterating that the strike notice remains fully in force until the outstanding issues get addressed, and it urged members to stay firm throughout the industrial action.
