By Valentine Omondi
Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s administration is facing a fresh test in the health sector after a 21‑day strike notice issued by doctors reaches its deadline, placing Kisumu’s public hospitals under the threat of disrupted medical services.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union issued the notice to the Kisumu County Government on July 28, demanding action on three unresolved issues affecting doctors in the county.
The union demanded “the implementation of overdue promotions and designations for eligible doctors”, action to address what it described as “a severe shortage of doctors” in county health facilities, and “the conversion of doctors serving on contractual terms to permanent and pensionable employment”.
KMPDU said the grievances followed a consultative meeting with the county government in January, during which both sides agreed that the issues would be resolved within 90 days.
According to the notice, the 90‑day period expired without the union seeing concrete action from the county leadership. A further 30‑day period was also given, but the union said that deadline similarly elapsed without the issues being resolved.
The union subsequently issued the 21‑day strike notice.
The notice states that if the county government failed to address all three demands within the period, doctors would withdraw their services from midnight on Tuesday, August 18.
That deadline has now arrived.
KMPDU’s position puts the county government under pressure to resolve the dispute and avert a disruption of healthcare services. The union has linked the proposed industrial action directly to employment conditions and staffing levels within the county health system.
The doctor shortage is one of the union’s central concerns. KMPDU says the shortage has left existing medical staff overworked and risks compromising healthcare standards in county facilities.
The union is also demanding the conversion of doctors serving on contracts to permanent and pensionable terms, citing repeated assurances from the county government.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of renewed scrutiny of Kisumu County’s financial affairs.
Director Governor press Charles Odhiambo said the government was working to avert the situation.
From pending bills to public services
On July 27, one day before KMPDU issued its strike notice, Nyong’o appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee to respond to questions arising from the Auditor General’s examination of the county’s financial records for the 2024/25 financial year.
The Senate scrutiny added to a longer‑running debate over Kisumu’s pending bills and financial obligations.
Parliamentary records have previously documented concerns over the accumulation of pending bills in Kisumu, including their effect on contractors, suppliers, projects and service delivery. A Senate statement on the issue called for details on the county’s outstanding bills, the measures being taken to settle them, and the effect of delayed payments on ongoing projects and services.
The Senate’s wider examination of county finances has also placed Kisumu among counties with significant outstanding pending bills. A Senate report based on Auditor General data listed Kisumu among counties with pending bills running into billions of shillings.
The financial questions and the doctors’ dispute are separate matters. However, their proximity has brought two aspects of county administration into focus at the same time: the management of public funds and the delivery of essential public services.
For residents, the health dispute has a direct consequence.
Doctors are among the personnel required to keep county hospitals and other public health facilities operating. A withdrawal of services would therefore affect patients who depend on those facilities for treatment.
The timing also places attention on the commitments made by the county government to its medical workforce.
The KMPDU letter does not present the dispute as a new disagreement. It traces the current situation to discussions held months earlier and outlines a series of deadlines that the union says have passed without the agreed issues being resolved.
That history is now central to the strike threat.
A legacy under pressure
Nyong’o’s tenure in Kisumu has been marked by major investments and political battles, but the administration’s record is also being examined through questions of financial management and the performance of essential county services.
The pending bills debate has focused attention on the county’s obligations to suppliers and contractors, while the doctors’ dispute has brought the condition of the health workforce into the spotlight.
The two developments do not establish a direct connection between pending bills and the doctors’ grievances. They do, however, present the county administration with simultaneous questions over its financial obligations and its ability to maintain essential services.
The immediate issue remains the doctors’ strike deadline.
KMPDU has demanded that all three grievances be resolved in their entirety. Unless an agreement is reached, the union’s notice provides for doctors to withdraw their services from midnight on August 18.
Whether the county government and the union reach an agreement before or after the deadline will determine the next phase of the dispute.
For Nyong’o, the episode adds another chapter to the assessment of his administration as it continues to navigate financial scrutiny while facing demands from workers responsible for delivering one of the county government’s most critical services.
