Nurses, doctors, and other health workers in Kenya continue to face unsafe working conditions even after a series of strikes that total over 200 days of work stoppage

Kenya’s nurses and clinical officers continue to be on strike as the second tier of government – the Council of Governors – has not signed the return to work formula agreed upon by the unions and the country’s health ministry

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers and the government signed a 17-point return to work agreement which addresses major issues such as comprehensive health insurance and hospitalization for health workers who have contracted the infection

Health workers are demanding payment of salaries, comprehensive health insurance, quality PPEs, increase in risk allowances, and conversion of contract workers into permanent employees with access to pensions

Doctors, nurses, and clinical officers in Kenya are all set to down tools on December 7 on a range of demands from the government, including provision of health insurance, quality PPEs, isolation and treatment centers for health workers

Doctors and nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi have downed tools. Meanwhile, the strike by medics in Embu county’s government hospitals was called off after the government committed to a timeline to address their grievances

The Kenyan government’s approval of insurance cover addresses only one of the key demands of health workers as many professionals are unhappy over unpaid remittances, lack of PPEs and pending promotions

Very little progress has been made in resolving the issues raised by doctors and nurses in Kenya. Meanwhile, protests have broken out in many cities against alleged misappropriation of funds for COVID-19 equipment