By Mandere Onyinkwa
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned several counties over persistent salary delays, threatening a phased industrial action that could disrupt healthcare services if doctors are not paid on time.
In a notice dated June 22, 2026, the union’s Nyanza Branch announced a structured escalation plan that will see doctors progressively reduce services if salaries are delayed beyond set deadlines.
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The branch represents doctors in Kisii, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya, Nyamira, Migori and Kisumu counties, giving the dispute a wider regional significance.
Addressing the County Secretary and Head of Public Service in Kisii, KMPDU Nyanza Branch Secretary Dr. Aggrey Orwenyo Nyabuti said chronic salary delays had subjected doctors to financial and emotional hardship.
“This notice outlines a clear, legally grounded stance on chronic salary delays,” said Dr. Nyabuti.
“Under the ILO Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95), and the Employment Act 2007, Section 18, workers are strictly entitled to timely pay, and persistent breaches justify industrial escalation.”
Under the new framework, doctors will initiate a go-slow if salaries are delayed beyond the fifth day of the succeeding month.
If payment is not made by the tenth day, medical personnel will scale back services and only provide emergency care.
A complete withdrawal of labour will follow if salaries remain unpaid after the fifteenth day of the month.
“Delay beyond the fifth day of the succeeding month: Our members shall instantly initiate a go-slow,” the notice states.
The union further warned that delays extending beyond the fifteenth day would trigger a full strike. “Our members shall immediately withdraw their labour and skills until such a time they are paid in full,” the notice adds.
KMPDU urged the county administration to settle doctors’ salaries and all related dues before the fifth day of every month to avoid disruption of health services.
The latest warning reflects growing frustration among healthcare workers in county governments, where delayed salaries have periodically sparked industrial unrest across the country.
Doctors’ unions have repeatedly argued that salary delays affect morale, compromise service delivery and place healthcare workers under severe financial strain.
The Kisii notice is particularly significant because similar positions have previously been adopted in neighbouring counties including Nyamira, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Siaya, suggesting a coordinated regional push by the union to enforce timely salary payments across county governments.
Copies of the notice were sent to Governors, County Public Service Boards, County Executive Committee Members for Health, Chief Officers for Health, Chief Officers for Finance, County Directors of Health, the Labour Officer and the KMPDU national leadership.
If implemented, the planned industrial action could affect thousands of patients who depend on public health facilities in the Nyanza region, piling pressure on county authorities to resolve salary issues before the next payroll cycle.
