Kenya: KMPDU, Government Launch 2025-2029 CBA Negotiations

• Negotiations for a new 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Kenyan government and KMPDU began on October 26.
• KMPDU aims to finalize the agreement, covering doctors' terms of service, by December, shifting to structured dialogue from previous agitation.
• Separate negotiation tracks are underway for national government-employed doctors and county government-employed doctors, with the latter starting October 29.
• The Ministry of Health submitted a counter-proposal on August 4, 2026, and formed an inter-ministerial committee for national talks.
• KMPDU has mandated a negotiating committee to handle both national and county CBAs, targeting conclusion by December 2026.

The December deadline set by KMPDU introduces a sense of urgency, underscoring the importance of a swift resolution to establish critical employment terms, remuneration, and working conditions for doctors, which will significantly impact labor compliance and operational costs across national and county health systems.

The Kenyan government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) commenced negotiations for a new four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on October 26. This pivotal agreement is set to define the terms of service for medical professionals from 2025 to 2029. The union has expressed an ambitious goal of finalizing the deal by December of the current year. This round of discussions represents a deliberate shift by KMPDU's leadership towards structured dialogue with both national and county administrations, moving away from previous confrontational approaches.

The formal invitation for these talks was extended by Mary Muthoni Muriuki, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, in a letter dated October 13. She invited KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah to an initial negotiation meeting held in Mombasa on October 26 and 27. Preceding this, the Ministry of Health had already submitted a counter-proposal to the union's CBA demands on August 4, 2026, and established an inter-ministerial committee to engage with KMPDU, thereby formalizing the negotiation process at the national level.

The KMPDU's National Advisory Council, following a joint meeting with the National Executive Council on October 16, mandated its negotiating committee to handle both the Ministry of Health for national-level agreements and county governments for devolved employment terms. Secretary General Davji Atellah emphasized the union's organized and legally anchored approach, stating their unity across national and county levels. The union's internal target for concluding these negotiations is December 2026, reflecting a comprehensive strategy for the multi-faceted talks.

Crucially, negotiations for doctors employed by county governments are slated to begin shortly after the national talks, specifically on October 29 and 30. These discussions involve the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). KMPDU has successfully secured an agreement for centralized negotiations that encompass all county governments, a strategic move designed to create a unified framework for addressing doctors' employment conditions across Kenya's devolved health system. A 12-member team, comprising senior National Executive Council officials, has been appointed by KMPDU to lead these county-level discussions.

The outcome of these concurrent negotiation tracks—one at the national government level led by the Ministry of Health's inter-ministerial committee, and the other involving devolved government representatives for county-employed doctors—will be instrumental in shaping the employment landscape for medical professionals across Kenya for the next four years. This new approach by KMPDU is largely informed by the protracted disputes that characterized the 2017–2021 CBA cycle, which saw significant disagreements over remuneration, working conditions, and the implementation of agreed terms. Atellah highlighted that the lessons learned from those past struggles, including the need for preparedness and vigilance, are guiding the union's current strategy.

These Kenya KMPDU government CBA negotiations unfold against a backdrop of persistent challenges within Kenya's public health system. Issues such as inadequate staffing levels, concerns over remuneration, suboptimal working conditions, and the uneven distribution of medical personnel across the country remain critical. Given that doctors' employment is divided between the national government and the 47 county governments, effective coordination in these negotiations is paramount. The December deadline set by KMPDU introduces a sense of urgency, underscoring the importance of a swift resolution to establish critical employment terms, remuneration, and working conditions for doctors, which will significantly impact labor compliance and operational costs across national and county health systems.

Lawyers advising public sector healthcare entities or medical professionals in Kenya should closely monitor the ongoing KMPDU-government CBA negotiations, as the final agreement will establish critical employment terms, remuneration, and working conditions for doctors, impacting labor compliance and operational costs across national and county health systems.

Source: Original reporting via Kenyan news outlets.