Doctors To Go On Strike Tomorrow As Teachers Issue Strike Notice

Two of the most critical sectors in the country could face disruption in the coming days with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) announcing a strike from Thursday, February 27 and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) announcing a nationwide strike from March 3, 2025.

KMPDU on Wednesday, February 26 announced that all doctors in Nairobi County will down their tools at midnight affecting operations at major hospitals which include the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

In a statement, the union revealed that the strike is due to a series of factors, including illegal salary stoppages and dismissals, chronic salary delays, stalled promotions, unpaid gratuities, and delayed confirmation letters.

According to KMPDU, these factors have significantly crippled doctors in the county, rendering them unable to deliver quality medical care to patients.

"Strike notice: All Nairobi County doctors will down their tools at midnight on February 27 due to illegal salary stoppages and dismissals, chronic salary delays, stalled promotions, unpaid gratuities, and delayed confirmation letters," it stated, without revealing an end date.

"Doctors don’t choose to strike—but how can we care for patients when we are deliberately incapacitated? For quality healthcare, doctors must be valued, supported, and empowered to serve."

The strike comes on the back of a 30-day strike notice by the Union's Secretary General Davji Atellah to the Ministry of Health, after which demonstrations would run on a weekly basis. “We are giving the government 30 days to solve this issue of payment and posting of medical interns. Otherwise, on March 18, 2025, we will start a series of weekly demonstrations,” Atellah declared.

This comes in response to Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa's announcement that the government will pay the new cohort of interns Ksh70,000, instead of the Ksh206,000 stipulated in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). She made these remarks during the Health Summit 2025 at Deputy President Kithure Kindiki's Karen residence on Monday, February 17.

Meanwhile, KUPPET officials in Kisii County criticized the government for failing to address the health crisis affecting teachers nationwide.

Led by KUPPET Kisii Branch Chairperson Laban Ooko, the officials revealed that thousands of teachers were unable to access treatment at various hospitals due to inconsistencies in their medical insurance coverage.

"The government should be disbursing about Ksh30 billion to cater for the health insurance of all teachers and police officers. So, as teachers of Kenya, we are putting the government on notice," Laban said.

"If, within the next week, the government does not release the funds required to safeguard the teachers of this country, we will down our tools and tell parents not to take their children to school since we will not be there."

The KUPPET Chairperson also called on police officers to unite with teachers in advocating for adequate health insurance, emphasizing that they faced similar challenges. Laban further clarified that the demonstrations set to begin on Monday would focus solely on demanding improved healthcare for teachers, not salary increases.

The two strikes run the risk of crippling the education and healthcare sectors, leading to premature school closures which disrupt the school calendar as well as huge difficulties in seeking treatment due to the absence of doctors to attend to them.