President William Ruto Handed HUGE Blow As Another Strike Looms, 30-Day Notice Issued

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has issued a 30-day strike notice, citing county governments’ failure to uphold the terms of a deal that resulted in the body’s decision to call off a strike in July.

In a statement on their official X page, the union listed a slew of demands that must be met within the next 30 days or KUCO officials will rally their members back to the streets, as diplomatic avenues for resolving the stalemate have failed to yield tangible results.

At the top of the list is a demand that all counties that have not yet implemented the agreed-upon promotions and redesignations do so within 30 days.

“It is unfortunate that even after 99 days of strike action and clear directions from the court the Council of Governors has resulted back to the old frustrating tactics of inviting the union to negotiate with individual counties against our agreement and court directives.

“This is a clear breach of agreement and a sign of lack of goodwill,” the statement read in part.

In the same vein, the union urged counties that have yet to provide medical coverage for their members to do so immediately, and to cover all medical expenses incurred since September 1, 2024.

As is customary when workers’ unions strike in Kenya, KUCO had concerns about their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which they demanded be negotiated centrally by the Council of Governors (COG) and completed within 30 days.

The union specifically targeted the Kisii County Government for alleged victimization of its members.

The union requests that the decision to transfer members arbitrarily be reversed.

In reference to the Raise The Wage Act (RTWA), the union demanded that all contracts of casual and contractual employees in the county be harmonised with those serving under permanent and pensionable terms.

Concerning the inevitable issue of salary payments, the union demanded that payments and deductions by third-party remitters be made by the 5th of each month.

Finally, the union demanded that all salaries withheld following strikes in 2021 and 2024 be paid immediately, no later than October 5.

The announcement adds to a string of union strikes that have rocked the country over the last month.

For example, the third school term began with a foiled strike notice from KUPPET, which was quickly followed by a strike by university lecturers’ UASU, which is still ongoing.

Doctors and civil servants have also issued strike notices.