Kenya Nurses Protest in Nairobi Over Work Conditions

Wearing white and carrying placards, dozens of nurses took to the streets of Nairobi, protesting over what they say is the government's failure to address long-standing labor grievances.

Seth Panayko, Secretary-General, Kenya National Union of Nurses, said, "for many years we have had, since 2017 up to now, push and pull back between SRC, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Council of Governors. Today we are visiting SRC to tell us their story and to ask them to issue a letter of no objection on our CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement, ed.]."

With a strike having started late July, the president of Kenya's National Nurses Association has voiced concerns about the impact on patients.

Collins Otieno Ajwang said, "the nurses strike is today entering its 37th day. Public health facilities across the country are severely affected by this strike. Our concern as fellow health professionals is what this continuing delay is now costing patients and the healthcare system."

The secretary general for clinical officers associations insists that action needs to be taken immediately.

Joseph Chebii said, "it is time now that we are seeing moralities rising among our mothers and other citizens of this country that can be avoided. If we continue delaying, we will have many more losses. So our call is for the unions, for the SRC, national government, county government and other stakeholders to kindly go to the table and have discuss and resolve this issue."

Discussions between the union and the Council of Governors (CoG) have remained at an impasse, leading the nurses to intensify their protests alongside the strike.