By Mandere Onyinkwa
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned counties about ongoing salary delays, threatening staged industrial action that could disturb healthcare services if doctors remain unpaid.
A notice issued on 22 June 2026 by the Nyanza branch outlined a step‑by‑step escalation plan, indicating that doctors would gradually limit services if payments miss their due dates.
The branch covers doctors in Kisii, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya, Nyamira, Migori and Kisumu counties, broadening the impact across the region.
Dr. Aggrey Orwenyo Nyabuti, secretary of the KMPDU Nyanza branch, addressed the County Secretary and Head of Public Service in Kisii, noting that repeated salary delays have imposed financial and emotional strain on medical staff.
‘This notice presents a solid, legally justified position on persistent salary delays,’ Dr. Nyabuti explained.
‘Under the ILO Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95), and the Employment Act 2007, Section 18, workers are due timely payment, and repeated violations warrant industrial action.’
The new protocol dictates that doctors will commence a go‑slow if salaries are not received by the fifth day of the following month.
Should payment be delayed past the tenth day, clinicians will cut back to essential and emergency services only.
A full withdrawal of labour will follow if wages remain outstanding after the fifteenth day of the month.
The notice states: ‘Delay beyond the fifth day of the succeeding month: our members will immediately initiate a go‑slow.’
It adds that delays beyond the fifteenth day will trigger an outright strike, with workers withdrawing their labour and expertise until salaries are paid in full.
KMPDU urged county administrations to clear doctors’ salaries and related arrears before the fifth day each month to prevent disruption of health services.
The latest warning echoes mounting frustration among healthcare workers in county governments, where delayed salaries have repeatedly sparked industrial unrest nationwide.
Doctors’ unions have consistently argued that wage delays erode morale, compromise patient care, and subject health workers to severe financial difficulty.
The Kisii notification is notably important because similar positions have been adopted in neighbouring counties such as Nyamira, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Siaya, indicating a coordinated regional effort to enforce timely salary payments.
Copies of the notice were forwarded to Governors, County Public Service Boards, County Executive Committee members for Health, Chief Officers for Health, Chief Officers for Finance, County Directors of Health, the Labour Officer, and KMPDU national leadership.
If activated, the planned industrial action could impact thousands of patients relying on public health facilities in the Nyanza region, heightening pressure on county authorities to settle salary issues before the next payroll cycle.