County governments, under the Council of Governors (CoG), have finally reached a breakthrough with clinical officers after concluding a long-awaited Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), ending nearly eight years of stalled talks.
The historic pact, signed in Nairobi, marks the first formal agreement between county administrations and the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO). It is expected to streamline salaries, clarify career advancement pathways, and improve employment conditions for clinical officers – key issues that have repeatedly fueled industrial action and interrupted healthcare delivery across the country.
According to officials, the agreement is the result of sustained consultations involving county leaders, the national government, and health sector unions. It comes after years of disagreement over the enforcement of CBAs and the adoption of standardized career guidelines, and is being hailed as a major step toward restoring stability and continuity in public health services.