The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned of a nationwide strike over delayed implementation of doctors’ basic salary adjustments, saying all technical, legal and administrative requirements have been fulfilled.

In a circular dated July 21, 2026, KMPDU Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atellah directed members across the country’s 47 counties to prepare for industrial action if the adjusted salaries and outstanding arrears are not reflected.

The union said the salary adjustments are anchored in the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the Return-to-Work Formula signed on May 8, 2024, and its addendum dated December 19, 2024.

“The Union has pursued every administrative, legal, and intergovernmental avenue to ensure the adjusted basic salaries are reflected in our members’ payslips and that all outstanding arrears are cleared,” read the KMPDU X post in part.

Implementation efforts

KMPDU outlined a series of engagements it has undertaken with county governments and the national government in pursuit of implementation.

According to the union, the Council of Governors wrote to the State Department for Public Service on July 4, 2025, requesting a new IPPD code for the adjusted salary structure while confirming that funds for arrears had been provided and counties had acknowledged the CBA provisions.

The union also cited guidance issued by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on September 19, 2025, approving the revised salary notches developed by a multi-agency team.

It further noted that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale wrote to the Ministry of Public Service on June 29, 2026, requesting urgent system coding for the revised salary scales under the HRIS-ke payroll system.

On July 1, 2026, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku confirmed that HRIS-ke already contains a special salary code that can facilitate the payments without further system modifications.

Union issues directive

KMPDU said it subsequently issued a final ultimatum to the Council of Governors on July 6 before a multi-agency consultative meeting involving the Council of Governors, SRC and the Ministry of Public Service was held on July 13 to discuss implementation.

The union maintained that all obstacles to implementation have now been addressed.

“There is now zero justification for any further delay by any County Government or Ministry department,” the circular states.

KMPDU has directed all Branch Executive Committees and members to review their July 2026 payslips to confirm whether the adjusted basic salaries have been implemented.

It also instructed members to prepare for further action should county governments fail to implement the revised salary structure or provide a schedule for payment of outstanding arrears.

Strike warning

The union said resolutions adopted during its Annual Delegates Conference on May 9, 2026, authorised nationwide industrial action and contempt of court proceedings if implementation timelines were not met.

“Industrial & Legal Mobilization: KMPDU stands ready to execute nationwide industrial action and initiate contempt of court proceedings against non-compliant Accounting Officers without further notice.”

KMPDU said it has exhausted administrative, legal and intergovernmental processes in seeking implementation of the salary adjustments.

“We have engaged in good faith, followed every legal process, and dismantled every roadblock in our way. We will not allow administrative inertia to rob doctors of their dignity and hard-earned rights.”

The union urged members to remain alert and await further communication from the National Advisory Council as it monitors implementation across all counties.