KNCHR calls for urgent action as nurses’ strike disrupts health services

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has called for urgent intervention to end the nationwide nurses’ strike, warning that the disruption of health services is putting patients’ lives at risk.

In a statement, KNCHR Chairperson Claris Ogangah said the strike had evolved from a labour dispute into a national public health and human rights concern requiring immediate action by the national and county governments.

The Commission said it had received reports of 79 deaths recorded between Monday, August 31, and Wednesday, September 2. The reported fatalities comprise eight maternal, 16 neonatal and 55 perinatal deaths.

KNCHR stressed that the figures must be independently verified before conclusions can be drawn about the causes or circumstances of the deaths.

It called on the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), working with the Ministry of Health and relevant county health authorities, to urgently investigate and verify the reported deaths and establish the circumstances surrounding each case.

The Commission also urged authorities to compare mortality levels recorded during the strike with those reported during the corresponding period in 2025 and other appropriate baseline periods, and to publish the findings.

«“The situation requires urgent action to prevent any further loss of life,” KNCHR said.»

The Commission warned that prolonged disruption of healthcare services could undermine patients’ constitutional rights to life, the highest attainable standard of health, emergency medical treatment and dignity.

It expressed particular concern over the impact of the strike on expectant and new mothers, newborns and neonates, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, patients with chronic illnesses and other vulnerable groups.

KNCHR urged the Ministry of Health, in coordination with county governments, to immediately establish a national emergency response mechanism to ensure continuity of essential and emergency services.

It said the response should prioritise maternity and neonatal care, intensive care units, dialysis, oncology, trauma services, ambulance operations and referral care.

At the same time, the Commission acknowledged nurses’ constitutional and labour rights, including the right to fair labour practices, fair remuneration, safe and adequate working conditions, collective bargaining and lawful industrial action.

“Nurses are the backbone of healthcare delivery and must be accorded working conditions and compensation commensurate with the vital and often high-risk services they provide,” the Commission said.

KNCHR called on the national and county governments to honour existing collective bargaining agreements with nurses and other health workers, including the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

It also urged the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) and other health worker unions to continue pursuing their demands through meaningful negotiations while ensuring the provision of essential and emergency services.

The Commission further called on the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors to facilitate structured, good-faith negotiations aimed at securing a time-bound resolution to the dispute.

KNCHR said it would continue monitoring the human rights impact of the strike, including reported delays or denial of emergency treatment and disruptions to critical health services.

The Commission said it would also continue examining the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths as efforts to resolve the dispute continue.