‘No Deal, No Work’: Panyako Issues Fresh Strike Warning.

By Michael Nyamai -

NAIROBI,KENYA, TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER, 2026 — Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary-General Seth Panyako has drawn a hard line in negotiations with the Council of Governors (CoG), warning that nurses will press ahead with industrial action unless a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is reached.

Panyako said although the union and the governors had made progress on some outstanding issues, the contentious CBA remains unresolved.

“The main elephant in the house is the issue of the collective bargaining agreement. And this is where we are drawing our lines very, very clear and are making it very clear that we do not have a deal yet,” Panyako said.

He said the union had reached tentative progress on the employment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff, with counties expected to begin issuing permanent and pensionable letters.

“We can say partially that that issue has been resolved, though we do not have a deal yet. A deal must be signed by the Union and the Council of Governors,” he said.

The union also said there was a roadmap for resolving disputes surrounding career progression guidelines, with KNUN expected to nominate representatives to a joint committee with the CoG.

However, Panyako accused the Council of Governors of retreating from a 2017 agreement, arguing that the implementation of the deal was being resisted on financial grounds.

“The Council of Governors are running away from the agreement that was made in 2017, making political pronouncements... saying that that deal is too expensive to be implemented,” he said.

Panyako warned that failure to reach an agreement would trigger renewed industrial action, singling out the chair of the Council of Governors for a particularly stern warning.

“Unless we have an agreeable agreement, we will press on with our strike,” he said.

He further threatened to shut down health services in the chair's county, saying, “We are going to close Wajir County. There will be not even a fly in any of those hospitals.”

The KNUN Secretary-General also turned his guns on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), accusing it of frustrating nurses over their employment rights and negotiated agreements.

“We are telling SRC that nurses' rights are workers' rights. And you cannot discriminate against nurses,” Panyako said.

He announced that nurses would camp at the SRC offices on Thursday in a fresh push to have their concerns addressed.

“On Thursday, we will be camping at the SRC offices for the whole day. We will get tea at SRC, have lunch at SRC, and have dinner at SRC,” he said.

The union also condemned an alleged disruption of a peaceful nurses’ demonstration in Kisii County. Panyako accused the county administration and police of failing to protect nurses during the protest and called for action against the OCS of Kisii’s Komani Police Station.

Panyako said the union would not back down, warning that nurses and other health workers had political influence in the county.

“We help you become the governor. We can help you to go home,” he said, adding, “The way we escort you to that office, we will also escort you home.”

The escalating dispute now puts the CoG, SRC and KNUN under renewed pressure to reach a negotiated settlement, with the union maintaining that there is no CBA deal yet and warning of further industrial action if its demands remain unresolved.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Experts Urge Kenya to Turn Waste Into Jobs Through Circular Economy

Image
By Michael Nyamai - Nairobi, Kenya, Sept 30, 2026 —  Kenya must accelerate the shift to a circular economy to create jobs, strengthen livelihoods and unlock economic value from waste, experts said at the 11th Annual Circular Economy Conference held in Nairobi on Wednesday. Karine Boomsma, Project Director, Sustainable and Inclusive Business Kenya, addresses the media during the 11th Annual Circular Economy Conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.//PHOTO COURTESY: Sustainable and Inclusive Business Kenya Project Director Karine Boomsma said Kenya had made progress in advancing circularity but continued to face policy, compliance and financial challenges. She said the country needed coordinated action across sectors to make the transition economically viable. “We see that still there are barriers but there's also great developments and we're slowly progressing,” Boomsma said, pointing to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a regulation supporting the circular...
Read more

ISK Unveils Internship Portal to Bridge Gap Between Students and Industry

Image
By Michael Nyamai - Nairobi, Kenya, October 1, 2026 — The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK) has called for stronger collaboration between industry and academia to prepare students for a rapidly changing geospatial, surveying and real estate sector driven by technology, data and evolving market demands. ISK President Eric Nyadimo, Deputy President Nelly Mbugua, OGW, and other officials during a media briefing during the inaugural ISK Students’ Conference at the University of Nairobi on October 1, 2026.//PHOTO COURTESY: Speaking during the inaugural ISK Students’ Conference at the University of Nairobi, ISK President Eric Nyadimo, said the conference marks the beginning of a new annual initiative aimed at bridging the gap between classroom learning and the realities of the workplace. Held under the theme “Beyond the Classroom: Preparing Students for the Future of Geospatial and Real Estate,” the conference brings together students, academic lecturers, public sector officials and te...
Read more

2027 Polls: Leaders Warn Against Ethnic Divisions, Call for National Unity

Image
By Michael Nyamai - Nairobi, Kenya, October 15, 2026 - Leaders have warned that political and ethnic divisions could threaten Kenya’s unity ahead of the 2027 General Election, urging politicians and young people to uphold constitutional values and reject actions that could tear the country apart. Josiah Musili, EBS, Secretary for National Cohesion and Values, addresses participants during the 2026 World Values Day celebrations at Kenya Railways Headquarters in Nairobi. PHOTO COURTESY: Speaking during the 2026 World Values Day celebrations at Kenya Railways Headquarters in Nairobi, Secretary for National Cohesion and Values Josiah Musili, EBS, called on Kenyans to embrace patriotism, national unity, democracy and public participation as enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution. “We can have elections without tearing the country apart. We can have one country even after the elections,” Musili said, stressing that promoting national values was a collective responsibility that extended ...
Read more