The strike by health workers in Marsabit County has entered its fourth week, paralysing services in public hospitals and exposing the county’s fragile health system.
Members of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) on Wednesday staged protests in Marsabit town, accusing the county administration of reneging on promises and failing to pay salaries for the past three months.
Led by KUCO branch chairperson Abdishukri Adan, the clinicians said they have endured persistent neglect despite signing a collective bargaining agreement with the county last year.
“Nothing has been implemented. We have not received our salaries, insurance or even statutory deductions,” Adan said. “We are working without dignity.”
The health workers described dire living conditions, saying many are unable to afford food, transport or medical care for themselves.
Some have resorted to taking loans just to survive. KUCO secretary Daki Abduba said the county government has repeatedly violated return-to-work agreements signed in July 2024 and April this year.
“We signed in good faith, hoping for change, but we were deceived. We will not sign another agreement in 2025 until our demands are fully met,” she declared.
Abduba accused county officials of “playing cat-and-mouse games” while health facilities collapse. KUCO treasurer Shukri Ibrahim said the crisis reflects a deeper failure to prioritise healthcare.
“We are not asking for miracles, just fairness and dignity,” he said, adding that one of their colleagues, a senior clinical officer, is currently admitted to Garissa County Referral Hospital with stage four cancer.
With hospitals understaffed and demoralised, patients have been forced to seek treatment in neighbouring Isiolo and Garissa counties, hundreds of kilometres away.
The union has vowed to continue the strike until all pending dues are settled and working conditions improve, warning that Marsabit’s health system is on the brink of total collapse.
