Doctors in Mombasa are set to strike at midnight on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, following an unresolved dispute with the county government over welfare, governance, and employment concerns.
The strike was announced by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, whose Secretary General Davji Atella said it was triggered after the Mombasa County Government failed to address grievances within a seven-day strike notice period.
Atellah said doctors had gathered earlier in the day to demonstrate solidarity and readiness for the planned strike, adding that the union had exhausted dialogue channels before resorting to industrial action.
The union accused the county administration of failing to remit statutory and third-party deductions, including contributions to Afya Sacco, for about five months despite the amounts being deducted from doctors’ salaries.
The union further alleges that the delay has caused some doctors to be blacklisted by the Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs) due to financial obligations that had already been settled through payroll deductions.
Atellah also criticized the continued use of a manual payroll system, arguing that it undermines transparency and accountability in salary processing.
He said the county government is in breach of the 2021 Return-to-Work Formula (RTWF), a legally binding agreement meant to resolve earlier disputes.
While expressing regret over potential disruptions to healthcare services, Atellah said responsibility for the strike lay with the county government, which he said had sufficient time to resolve the issues but failed to do so within the ultimatum period.
“Our demands are just. Our cause is lawful. Our resolve is firm. No retreat. No surrender.”
