Ogamba calls for end to lecturers’ strike as CBA talks stall
Ogamba said the government was committed to timely negotiations and conclusion of future agreements.
Ogamba said the government was committed to timely negotiations and conclusion of future agreements.
In a statement on Thursday,Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) said the reported conduct was unacceptable and called for public officials to exercise restraint and professionalism when dealing with workers exercising their constitutional and labour rights.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said on Thursday that the strike followed the failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to honour a Return-to-Work Formula signed in November 2025.
KUCO National Chairman Peterson Wachira said some county governments were frustrating the process through intimidation of striking clinical officers and delays in putting into effect an agreement that took eight years to negotiate before it was signed in February.
In a statement after the meeting, KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema said the union had made compromises in the interest of its members and the country, paving the way for workers to resume duty.
KNUNM Secretary General Seth Panyako said the union had no problem with dialogue but wanted agreements reached with the government to be followed by action.
The nurses want the county government to fully implement the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), while also addressing delays in putting career progression guidelines into effect.
In a letter dated August 4 to KNH Chief Executive Officer Dr Richard Lesiyampe, SRC Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Abdullahi Surraw said the commission had reviewed the hospital's request after considering various factors that guide public sector remuneration.
The union said the industrial action would continue until the Council of Governors (CoG) and other relevant authorities address their outstanding grievances, warning that nurses and midwives had reached the limit of their patience.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the union said the industrial action follows years of unsuccessful negotiations over key employment issues affecting nurses and midwives across the country's 47 counties.
The dissatisfaction emerged after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) rolled out the second phase of the CBA through a circular dated July 16. The commission directed regional, county and sub-county directors to implement the revised salary scales for all teachers who were in service by July 1, excluding interns.
In a notice dated July 6 and signed by KUCO General Secretary and CEO George Gibore, the union accused the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors and all 47 county governments of failing to honour previous agreements and resolve grievances affecting clinical officers despite months of engagement.