Doctors’ Union Reports Breakthrough in Salary Adjustment Dispute

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has announced significant progress in resolving long-standing disputes over basic salary adjustments for doctors, following high-level negotiations with government stakeholders.

In a statement issued by Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atellah, the union confirmed that a critical bottleneck—the special code required to process salary adjustments—has now been resolved after intensive engagements with the government.

The discussions involved key institutions, including the Directorate of Public Service Negotiations, Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), the Council of Governors, and the National Treasury of Kenya. These bodies had undertaken a detailed review to determine the exact financial obligations owed to doctors under their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

According to the union, the review revealed that approximately 95 percent of doctors are owed salary adjustments, while about 5 percent were classified as overpaid. However, KMPDU strongly rejected this classification, arguing that it incorrectly treats routine annual salary increments as part of the CBA implementation—an interpretation the union says contradicts a 2020 ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

The financial implications of the adjustments have also shifted. While earlier estimates from the Directorate of Public Service Negotiations placed the outstanding amount at KSh 450 million, a more recent advisory from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission has revised the figure downward to KSh 330 million following a February 2026 circular.

In a directive dated March 10, 2026, the SRC instructed all county governments to immediately implement the salary adjustments, compute and include all accrued arrears, and apply the designated special code to facilitate payments.

KMPDU has pledged to closely monitor compliance across all counties to ensure that doctors receive their dues in full. The union also indicated it would independently verify the figures provided by government agencies, maintaining its stance that annual increments should not be conflated with negotiated CBA benefits.

Despite the progress, the union cautioned that the process is not yet complete. Attention is now turning to the full implementation of the adjustments and the ongoing negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA.

KMPDU further reiterated its rejection of the “overpayment” narrative, insisting that doctors are entitled not only to the pending salary adjustments but also to interest accrued due to delays in implementing the agreement.

The union credited the milestone to sustained internal leadership and collective action, acknowledging several officials who played a key role in advancing the negotiations.

The developments mark a potentially decisive step toward resolving one of the most contentious labor issues in Kenya’s health sector, with thousands of doctors now awaiting the rollout of the promised payments.