By Valentine Omondi
Kenya’s health sector is facing a fresh crisis after doctors issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government to resolve the ongoing nurses’ strike or risk a doctors’ walkout.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General, Dr Davji Atellah, issued the ultimatum on Monday, September 7, 2026, during a press briefing in Nairobi, warning that doctors could join the industrial action if the nurses’ dispute remains unresolved.
Atellah said the more than 40-day nurses’ strike has placed immense pressure on doctors and disrupted the delivery of essential healthcare services in public hospitals.
He argued that doctors cannot continue shouldering duties normally performed by nurses, particularly in critical areas where continuous nursing care is required.
Nurses’ strike enters sixth week
The nurses’ strike, which began on July 29, has affected public health facilities across the country, with nurses demanding the implementation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement and resolution of other longstanding employment grievances.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives has maintained that the strike will continue until its demands are addressed.
The prolonged dispute has disrupted services in hospitals and raised concerns over the impact on patients, particularly those requiring emergency, maternity and specialised care.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has also raised concern over the disruption of healthcare services, calling for an urgent resolution of the dispute.
Pressure mounts as nurses plan demonstrations
The doctors’ ultimatum comes as nurses and midwives prepare to stage demonstrations in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 8, piling further pressure on the government and county authorities.
Thousands of health workers are expected to participate in the demonstrations as they push for the resolution of their grievances.
The emerging confrontation between health workers and the authorities now threatens to widen the disruption in public hospitals.
With doctors giving the government seven days to act, attention will now turn to whether the two sides can reach an agreement before the ultimatum expires and Kenya faces the possibility of a broader health workers’ strike.
