A section of nurses has vowed to take to the streets on January 19, 2025, if the government fails to address their grievances
The National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNA-Kenya), which represents all cadres of nurses in Kenya, is demanding the conversion of all its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) members to permanent and pensionable terms, among other issues.
Addressing a press conference Friday, NNA-Kenya President Collins Otieno also called for the recruitment of 50,000 additional nurses to fill staffing gaps and enhance patient care.
Otieno however said that only two sets of nurses will be participating in the strike; those who were employed under Universal Health Coverage in 2020 and anaesthetic nurses.
He was accompanied by Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives Secretary General Seth Panyako, who lamented the shortage of nurses, which has resulted in the overburdening of health workers.
Additionally, the officials have called for a review of the Social Health Authority implementation framework.
A meeting between the nurses’ officials and the Ministry of Health is scheduled for Monday, January 13, 2025.
The timing of the planned industrial action by the nurses coincides with that of clinicians, who have also issued a strike notice.
The clinical officers are among other grievances citing a breach of the Return to Work Formula agreement that was signed by both the national and county governments in July last year.
Additional reporting by Florence Masha
