Nurses’ strike: Panyako demands greater national government role in healthcare

The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General Seth Panyako has called for the national government to assume a more significant role in overseeing Kenya's healthcare system. In an interview on K24 TV, Panyako argued that health is a shared constitutional responsibility rather than a purely devolved one. He cited political disagreements between national and county governments as hindering the implementation of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and other reforms impacting healthcare workers.

Panyako noted that while the Ministry of Health has a CBA, career guidelines have already been implemented at the national level, but county governments operate under different arrangements. The Constitution designates health as a shared function because facilities are managed at both national and county levels. Panyako's remarks come as a nationwide nurses' strike continues over unresolved labor and welfare issues.

Nurses are demanding the implementation of the 2025-2029 CBA, the 2017 Return-to-Work Agreement, permanent and pensionable employment for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) nurses, and the adoption of approved career progression guidelines. The strike has disrupted services in several public hospitals, causing patient delays and pushing some to seek treatment in private facilities.

KNUN members stated they would not defy the law and would return to work once the government fulfills the signed agreements. The ongoing disputes have reignited concerns over intergovernmental coordination in healthcare, more than a decade after health services were devolved. Panyako emphasized that the national government cannot disengage from the sector by merely labeling healthcare as a devolved function.

His comments come amid persistent challenges related to employment terms, career progression, remuneration, and agreement implementation affecting health workers, as well as broader questions about Kenya's ability to achieve its development goals without first addressing the structural issues within its healthcare workforce and institutions.