The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) has dismissed calls to reopen negotiations on doctors’ basic salary adjustments, saying the issue is no longer up for debate and should now move to full implementation as agreed and adopted in court in 2024.
Union says Basic Salary Adjustments are already court-backed and warns new talks could delay payouts
In a letter to members dated January 20, 2026, KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah said the union would not support a proposal by stakeholders to form a new multi-agency forum to revisit the implementation of the basic salary adjustments.
Dr Atellah said the union’s position is that the process has already been discussed at length and concluded, and reopening the matter would only drag it further.
The latest proposal emerged after a consultative meeting convened by the Ministry of Public Service on December 5, 2025. The meeting brought together the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), and the National Treasury.
Resolutions from that meeting were communicated to KMPDU on December 18, 2025, including the suggestion that a fresh multi-agency team be formed to re-examine the basic salary adjustments. KMPDU says it flatly rejected the idea.
The union insisted that a similar multi-agency team had already handled the matter for more than eight months from early 2023, leading to agreed salary notches and clearly defined arrears.
KMPDU said those outcomes were later adopted by the court in 2024, making the union’s position clear that the country should now focus on implementation rather than restarting negotiations.
“Subsequently, both the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors supported our position, acknowledging that further multi-agency engagements would only result in unnecessary delays,” Dr Atellah said.
He added that the two institutions recommended that the Department of Public Service Management proceed with implementing the agreed basic salary adjustments without further deferment. This was communicated through a Ministry of Health letter dated January 8, 2026.
Dr Atellah said discussions are now ongoing between the SRC and the Department of Public Service Management to finalise the framework for implementation.
He noted that KMPDU expects a clear update and conclusion by mid-February 2026, following a scheduled meeting with SRC on February 10, 2026.
While admitting the process has taken longer than expected, the union maintained that it remains confident the basic salary adjustments will be finalised, adding that the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors and other agencies have indicated that funds are available to implement the revised pay structure.
Dr Atellah also urged union members to keep a close eye on arrears, noting the importance of properly tracking amounts accruing from July 2025 until the new salary figures are fully reflected on payslips.
“Going forward, it will be critical to accurately track and account for all arrears accruing from July 2025 up to the point when the adjusted salaries are fully reflected on members’ payslips,” he said.