Medical interns and Ministry of Health employees affected by salary delays have been given a fresh payment timeline, with KMPDU saying all pending payments should reach workers by Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) said the Ministry of Health had agreed to process the salaries of affected interns and its staff at the same time after a series of discussions with the union.
KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah said the payroll exercise was expected to begin on Saturday, August 29, paving the way for the release of the delayed salaries.
He said transfers would start after the payroll had been processed, with the affected workers expected to receive their money during the following week.
“All funds are expected to reach your accounts by Wednesday next week at the latest,” Atellah said in a communication to members dated August 28, 2026.
The union's update comes as interns and Ministry of Health staff await clarity on when the salaries that had not been processed would finally be released.
Atellah explained that delays in completing the payroll were partly caused by the late submission of documents required from medical interns.
He said the problem affected the processing of some interns during the July payroll cycle, when fewer than 300 had submitted the required documents to the Ministry of Health by the deadline.
The union said the ministry would now process the payments for medical interns alongside those of its staff, rather than handling the two groups separately.
“Following our recent engagements with MoH, it has been confirmed that salaries for all interns and MoH staff will be disbursed concurrently,” he stated.
KMPDU said the combined payroll would cover all affected medical interns and Ministry of Health workers, with the outstanding salaries expected to be settled during the coming week.
The payment delays have kept attention on the challenges surrounding medical internship, particularly the placement, deployment and payment of interns after completing their medical training.
KMPDU has repeatedly raised the issue of timely payment of medical interns during its engagements with the government, with the union pushing for young doctors to receive their salaries without delays as they begin professional practice.
The latest communication signals progress in efforts by the union and the Ministry of Health to address the immediate payroll problem and ensure workers who are owed money receive their payments.
The union thanked the affected interns and Ministry of Health staff for remaining patient as discussions with the government continued.
KMPDU said it was confident the payroll process would be completed as planned and that the affected workers would receive their salaries within the timeline given.
Atellah concluded his message by thanking members for their patience and wishing them a blessed weekend.