After a long period of uncertainty and negotiation, a solution to the long-awaited salary review of Kenyan doctors finally appears to be in sight.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has indicated that the process between the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Department of Public Service Management (DPSM) is in the final stages, with the month of February 2026 set to see the end of the process.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, January 20, the union said the negotiations center on the formulation of a framework to implement the revised basic salaries that have been negotiated several years ago but have been pending due to certain administrative and legal issues.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah stated that the union had resisted the formation of a new interagency team that would re-calculate salaries, since this would only act as a hindrance to the process. It was reported that a technical team had been formed in 2023, whose resolutions regarding the salaries had been adopted by the courts in 2024.
The union pointed out that its stand has been supported by the Ministry of Health as well as the Council of Governors (CoG), which released a statement in support of the stand on January 8.
“There is ongoing interaction between the SRC and the DPSM to finalize the framework for implementation. We look forward to seeing tangible progress and a final agreement by mid-February 2026, following our meeting with the SRC set for February 10,” said KMPDU.
Once it is rolled out, this new pay system is expected to eliminate anomalies that have long existed with regards to the remuneration of doctors and ensure uniform pay for all counties. The system will also deal with instances where some doctors have been receiving lower pay than what was agreed on before.
KMPDU also indicated that they will continue to fight for the payment in full of the salaries that are outstanding since July 2025. This is because they want to ensure that the amount is traced and paid when implementing the process.
This is the latest development in a series of salary disputes that have derailed healthcare services over the years. In September 2025, the Ministry of Health paid the final salary arrears covering the period 2017-2024, thereby bringing a closure to one of the longest salary disputes in the sector. However, the union still argued that the payslip should indicate the correct basic salary, while the arrears from the last salary adjustment cycle were still pending.
Currently, referral or entry-level doctors earn approximately Ksh 289,186 per month, and interns earn between Ksh 45,000 and Ksh 70,000 per month. The highest paid senior specialists earn up to Ksh 1.2 million per month.
The referral doctors are to earn up to Ksh 413,000 per month, senior specialists up to Ksh 1.4 million, and interns up to Ksh 206,000 per month once the agreement is fully implemented based on the Return to Work Formula Agreement.
The issue of salary was also brought forward at the 9th Annual Delegates Conference of KMPDU, where the Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale was in attendance, with all parties agreeing on the need to resolve the issue once and for all.
