The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) is targeting the end of December 2026 to conclude negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covering doctors employed by the national and county governments.
In a statement on Monday, October 26, Secretary General Davji Atellah said the union had resolved to pursue structured negotiations following a joint meeting of its National Advisory Council and National Executive Council held on October 16.
The proposed CBA will cover doctors’ terms of employment and working conditions for the 2025–2029 period.
“The CBA is transitioning from agitation to structured negotiations with the National and county governments, with talks expected to begin this week,” the union said.
The negotiations are expected to address doctors’ welfare, terms of service and working conditions across the two levels of government.
The Ministry of Health has already submitted a counter-proposal in response to the union’s demands, opening the way for further discussions.
Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni has also committed to an inter-ministerial committee to handle the negotiations. KMPDU was invited to a meeting scheduled for Monday, October 26, in Mombasa.
The union’s National Advisory Council has directed that negotiations cover both the Ministry of Health and county government CBAs, with the aim of reaching an agreement by the end of December.
Centralised Negotiations Planned
KMPDU has also announced that the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) agreed to its request for centralised negotiations.
The union said the talks were scheduled to begin on October 29 and November 10, 2026.
It said negotiating the agreements through a coordinated process would help address the terms of service for doctors working under both levels of government.
“The parallel negotiations would help establish a coordinated approach to securing improved terms of service for doctors employed by both levels of government,” KMPDU said.
The union also pointed to the 2017–2021 CBA negotiations, which it described as a difficult period marked by prolonged disputes and sacrifices by doctors seeking better working conditions and improved healthcare delivery.
The latest talks aim to secure a new agreement covering the 2025–2029 period, with the union setting the end of December as its target for concluding negotiations.
