Residents in Laikipia County have been asked to discharge their patients from all public hospitals as the nurses’ strike entered its third day.
Hospital services across the county have ground to a halt, with nurses refusing to return to work until long-standing grievances are resolved. Their demands include payment of seven months in salary arrears, conversion of all contracted nurses to permanent and pensionable employment, implementation of overdue promotions, enrollment in comprehensive medical cover, and recruitment of more nursing staff to ease shortages.
Daniel Wangai, Secretary General of the Laikipia chapter, said this is the second year nurses have signed a return-to-work agreement that the county government has failed to implement, even after a similar strike in March.
Wangai added that the county’s repeated failure to honor agreements has weakened trust among healthcare workers, warning that nurses will not resume work until clear action is taken to address their concerns.
The strike began at midnight on Tuesday, leaving patients seeking care at public health facilities stranded after being turned away. Many have been forced to seek treatment in private hospitals or find alternative care, while pressure mounts for urgent intervention to end the standoff and restore normal health services.
The nurses’ union said that during the March strike, it signed a 16-point return-to-work formula with the Laikipia County Government covering delayed promotions, unpaid salary arrears, staff shortages, medical cover concerns, and implementation of agreed career structures, but accused the county of failing to fully honor the agreement.