CBA Talks: KMPDU Turns to Dialogue to Secure Doctors’ 2025–2029 Deal

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has shifted its strategy from agitation to structured negotiations in a renewed effort to secure better pay, improved working conditions and stronger employment protections for doctors across Kenya.

The union’s leadership has set an ambitious deadline of December 2026 to conclude the new agreement, which will govern doctors’ employment terms for the 2025–2029 period. The negotiations are expected to cover doctors employed by both the national government and Kenya’s 47 county governments.

The move follows a joint meeting of KMPDU’s National Advisory Council and National Executive Council on October 16, where union leaders agreed to prioritise dialogue while maintaining pressure on employers to address outstanding grievances.

KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah said the union was entering the negotiations better prepared, with a coordinated team and a clear mandate to secure improved terms of service.

The shift comes more than two years after a nationwide doctors’ strike that lasted 56 days and exposed deep disagreements between medical professionals and the government over remuneration, internship placements, medical insurance and implementation of previously negotiated agreements.

National government talks get underway

The Ministry of Health has established an Inter-Ministerial CBA Negotiation Committee to engage KMPDU on the proposed 2025–2029 agreement.

According to the union and published reports, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni Muriuki invited KMPDU to an inaugural meeting scheduled for October 26 and 27 at Mombasa Beach Hotel.

The invitation followed the ministry’s submission of a counter-proposal on August 4, 2026, responding to the union’s comprehensive proposals.

The negotiations are intended to establish common ground on the terms and conditions of service for doctors employed by the national government, including outstanding remuneration and workplace concerns.

For KMPDU, the submission of a counter-proposal provides a basis for formal bargaining, although the final agreement will depend on the positions adopted by both parties and their ability to resolve outstanding differences.

Atellah has emphasised that the union wants the negotiations to produce tangible improvements rather than another prolonged cycle of promises and delays.

The December deadline will therefore test whether the government and the union can resolve contentious issues within a defined period.

County governments agree to centralised negotiations

Alongside discussions with the national government, KMPDU has secured agreement from the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to pursue centralised negotiations covering all 47 counties.

The union has nominated a team of 12 leaders to represent doctors in the county-level negotiations, which are scheduled to begin on October 29 and 30.

The arrangement is significant because doctors employed by county governments have often had to contend with differences in implementation and employment administration across counties.

A centralised negotiating framework could provide a common platform for addressing employment terms, remuneration and working conditions, reducing the need for the union to negotiate separately with individual county administrations.

However, the success of the arrangement will depend on the parties reaching an agreement that can be implemented consistently across the devolved health system.

County governments will also have to consider their respective budgets, staffing requirements and obligations under existing employment agreements.

The involvement of the SRC is particularly important in discussions concerning public-sector remuneration, while the Council of Governors provides a collective platform for county government engagement.

KMPDU believes that coordinated negotiations at both levels of government will strengthen its ability to secure consistent terms for doctors.

Lessons from the 2017–2021 CBA dispute

The union’s renewed emphasis on structured dialogue comes against the background of difficulties encountered during the previous CBA cycle.

The 2017–2021 agreement became the subject of prolonged disputes over implementation, including salary adjustments and arrears. The disagreements contributed to a breakdown in relations between doctors and their employers, eventually culminating in industrial action.

The most recent major nationwide doctors’ strike began on March 15, 2024, and ended on May 8 after the parties signed a return-to-work agreement.

Reuters reported at the time that the dispute involved demands for payment of outstanding salary arrears, improved medical insurance coverage and the recruitment and posting of medical interns. The government cited financial constraints in defending delays in recruitment.

The 56-day dispute disrupted public healthcare services and demonstrated how disagreements over employment terms can have consequences beyond the negotiating table.

For patients who depend on public hospitals, prolonged industrial action can mean delayed appointments, postponed procedures and interruptions to access to essential services.

For doctors, the dispute highlighted the importance of ensuring that agreements reached with employers are implemented in practice.

KMPDU’s current approach appears designed to avoid a repeat of that experience by establishing negotiating teams, coordinating discussions across both levels of government and setting a clear deadline for concluding the new agreement.

Nevertheless, the move towards dialogue does not mean the union has abandoned its demands or ruled out further action if negotiations fail.

Pay, arrears and working conditions remain central concerns

Although negotiations are still at an early stage, remuneration and the implementation of previous agreements remain important issues in the wider dispute between doctors and their employers.

In July 2026, the Ministry of Health announced commitments intended to address outstanding salary adjustments and arrears affecting doctors employed by the national government.

The ministry said it was engaging the Ministry of Public Service to facilitate activation of the payroll code required to implement agreed salary adjustments. It also indicated that provision would be made for adjusted basic salary arrears for the 2024/2025 period through a supplementary budget, with payment expected before the end of December 2026.

The ministry further committed to addressing outstanding arrears affecting its doctors between 2017 and 2024 and to reporting on progress. These were announced commitments, rather than confirmation that all payments had already been completed.

The new CBA negotiations provide an opportunity to address these concerns alongside other questions relating to doctors’ welfare and working environments.

Medical professionals have repeatedly argued that fair remuneration, reliable implementation of agreements and adequate staffing are essential to maintaining morale and retaining skilled personnel in the public health system.

The government, meanwhile, must balance its employment obligations against public spending priorities and the financial pressures facing national and county administrations.

The negotiations will need to reconcile these competing considerations if the proposed agreement is to be both acceptable to doctors and financially sustainable.

Government commitments on recruitment and healthcare staffing

Staffing is another important part of the broader conversation about doctors’ working conditions.

In July, the Ministry of Health reaffirmed its commitment to progressively recruit 2,000 doctors to strengthen the healthcare workforce and address staffing gaps. It also said it would provide KMPDU with information on recruitment undertaken since 2024.

The commitment is relevant to the CBA process because remuneration alone cannot resolve every challenge facing public hospitals.

Doctors working in understaffed facilities may face heavy workloads, limited resources and difficulties providing timely care. Improving staffing levels can help distribute workloads more effectively, although recruitment must be accompanied by adequate funding, equipment and infrastructure.

The proposed CBA could therefore become an important platform for discussing not only what doctors earn but also the conditions under which they provide healthcare.

Whether recruitment commitments translate into additional personnel on the ground will remain a separate implementation question for the relevant government agencies.

KMPDU calls for unity among doctors

Atellah has urged union members to remain united behind the negotiating teams as the process gets underway.

The secretary general said the union was approaching the talks with lessons drawn from previous bargaining cycles and a determination to protect doctors’ welfare.

He maintained that the union was entering negotiations with a coordinated mandate covering national and county employment arrangements.

The leadership’s message reflects an effort to maintain pressure on employers while giving the formal bargaining process an opportunity to succeed.

For KMPDU, unity among members could be important in ensuring that the negotiating team has a clear mandate and can respond consistently to proposals from government representatives.

At the same time, doctors will be looking for evidence that the discussions are producing measurable progress, particularly on issues that have remained unresolved for years.

December deadline puts pressure on both sides

With the national negotiations scheduled to begin on October 26 and county-level discussions expected to follow on October 29 and 30, the parties have a relatively short period to make progress towards the union’s December target.

The process will require agreement on contentious issues, coordination between national and county employers, and clarity on how any new terms will be funded and implemented.

The involvement of the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors and the SRC provides a framework for negotiations, but the existence of that framework does not guarantee that an agreement will be reached on time.

The immediate test will be whether both sides can translate their stated commitment to dialogue into concrete decisions on outstanding employment issues.

KMPDU has signalled that it wants a negotiated outcome, while remaining firm on the need for improved terms of service and protection of doctors’ rights.

For the government, the challenge will be to address those demands while accounting for budgetary realities and the practical requirements of managing healthcare services across the country.