Government, doctors begin CBA talks as union targets December deal

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 26 – The government and doctors’ union will begin negotiations on a new four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on Monday, October 26, with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) targeting a final deal by December. The talks, covering the 2025–2029 cycle, mark a shift towards structured negotiations after the union’s leadership resolved to pursue dialogue with the government and county administrations over doctors’ terms of service.

In a letter dated October 13, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni Muriuki invited KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah to an inaugural negotiation meeting scheduled for October 26 and 27 in Mombasa. The meeting follows the Ministry of Health’s submission of a counter-proposal to the union’s CBA demands in a letter dated August 4, 2026.

The ministry has also constituted an inter-ministerial committee to negotiate the agreement with the union, signalling the formal start of the engagement process at the national government level. In a statement following a joint National Advisory Council and National Executive Council meeting held on October 16, Atellah said the union had resolved to transition from agitation to structured dialogue in pursuit of a new agreement.

The union’s National Advisory Council has mandated its negotiating committee to handle both the Ministry of Health and county governments’ CBAs, with a target of concluding negotiations by December 2026. “We are stepping into these negotiation rooms organized, legally anchored, and unified across both national and county levels,” Atellah said. He urged doctors to remain united behind their negotiating teams, saying the union would seek improved terms of service, better welfare and a dignified working environment for medical professionals.

County negotiations Alongside the national government talks, negotiations covering doctors employed by county governments are scheduled to begin on October 29 and 30, following engagement with the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). Atellah said the union had secured agreement for centralised negotiations covering all county governments, a move intended to provide a coordinated framework for addressing doctors’ employment terms across the devolved health system.

KMPDU has nominated a 12-member team led by senior National Executive Council officials to represent doctors in the county negotiations. The outcome of the two tracks will be critical in determining the terms of employment for doctors working in national and county government health facilities over the four-year agreement period. CBA dispute The union said its approach to the new negotiations had been shaped by the protracted disputes surrounding the 2017–2021 CBA cycle, which involved disagreements over doctors’ pay, working conditions and implementation of agreed employment terms.

Atellah recalled the sacrifices and solidarity required during the previous dispute, saying the experience had taught the union the importance of preparedness and vigilance in negotiations. The new talks come against the backdrop of longstanding challenges in Kenya’s public health system, including concerns over staffing levels, remuneration, working conditions and the distribution of medical personnel across the country.

Doctors’ employment arrangements are split between the national government and the 47 county governments, making coordination important in negotiations over pay and other terms of service. While the Ministry of Health will lead the national-level engagement through its inter-ministerial committee, the county negotiations will involve the relevant devolved government representatives and the union.

The December deadline set by KMPDU will put pressure on the negotiating teams to resolve outstanding issues within the next two months. Atellah called on union members to remain steadfast and support their representatives as the talks begin, describing the negotiations as central to doctors’ welfare and the future of healthcare delivery in Kenya.