Embu elders demand governor Cecily Mbarire to act as health workers’ enters day 25
A section of elders in Embu County, and specifically, Kiriari, has appealed to Governor Cecily Mbarire to intervene in the ongoing strike by health workers, as the dispute enters its 25th day and continues to disrupt services in public health facilities. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, August 20, 2026, the elders want the county […]
In Embu County, Kenya, health workers are on their 25th day of strike, causing significant disruption to public healthcare services. Elders in the Kiriari area have appealed to Governor Cecily Mbarire to intervene and mediate between the striking workers and the county government. The elders, including Joseph Nyagah Mwaniki, Joseph Wega, Ven Kamitambo, Elijah Ndwiga, and John Njue, have expressed their concerns over the impact of the strike on healthcare services, with some facilities reporting no visible health workers.
The striking health workers are demanding that contract staff be converted to permanent and pensionable terms, career promotions, and the resolution of delayed bank loan remittances. Joseph Wega specifically urged the government to honor agreements made with health workers regarding salary payments. Another elder, Ven Kamitambo, emphasized the need for the government to pay doctors as per their agreement, in order to end the current paralysis in the healthcare sector.
Elijah Ndwiga called on Governor Mbarire to address the situation and explain her administration's plans for resolving the strike.
The health strike in Embu County follows the recent Kenya Health Summit 2026, where national and county governments, health professionals, and other stakeholders discussed reforms to improve healthcare delivery. The summit highlighted health workforce, healthcare financing, primary healthcare, digital health, and health security as key areas requiring attention.
The Embu strike serves as a local test for the broader national conversation on healthcare reform, emphasizing the importance of having available and capable health workers to provide care to patients.
Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
