Nurses and midwives across Tharaka Nithi County have entered an indefinite strike. The action has disrupted routine hospital operations across the county. It reflects a widening standoff between healthcare workers and public employers.
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| Tharaka Nithi Nurses Strike Indefinitely Over Unpaid Promotions and Stalled Pay Deal |
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives is coordinating the walkout. Their demands centre on pay, promotion, and delayed policy implementation.
Residents seeking outpatient and maternity services are already feeling the strain. Wards are operating with reduced staffing, and some procedures have been postponed.
Addressing journalists in Chuka, KNUNM Tharaka Nithi Branch Secretary Joshua Mwiti outlined three core grievances. These are the signing and implementation of the 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the full rollout of the 2017 Return to Work Formula, and the adoption of career progression guidelines. He said none of these had been properly actioned in the county.
“The strike will continue until further notice unless both the national and county governments address our demands,” said Mwiti, Branch Secretary of the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives in Tharaka Nithi.
His remarks framed the walkout as the result of a bargaining process that has stalled repeatedly at the implementation stage.
Mwiti also raised a specific grievance around promotions. He said 98 nurses who meet the qualifying criteria remain in their existing job groups.
Their eligibility has not translated into any change in rank or pay. He added that nine nurses were left out of a recent recruitment exercise in which 45 others were hired.
“Career progression guidelines have never been implemented in this county,” said Mwiti. His statement points to a gap between national health policy and its execution at the county level. Unions in several counties have raised similar complaints about the same disconnect.
The strike is likely to hit maternity wards, outpatient departments, and rural health centres hardest. These facilities depend heavily on nursing staff for daily service delivery. The county also has a comparatively thin bench of specialist doctors to absorb the gap.
Extended disruption often pushes patients toward private facilities or neighbouring counties. This raises costs for households already stretched by other expenses. It also adds pressure on referral hospitals that must absorb the overflow.
Neither the national nor the county government has offered a resolution timeline. The union maintains that normal service delivery will only resume once there is real movement.
That movement must come on the CBA, the Return to Work Formula, and a transparent framework for career progression.
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