Clinical Officers' 36-Day Strike Ends; Health Sector Faces Fraud and Crackdowns - January 2026

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has called off its 36-day strike after signing a Return-to-Work Formula with the Council of Governors (CoG), allowing for the resumption of normal operations in public hospitals. The agreement addresses stalled Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations and other demands. In separate news, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has committed to publicly naming hospitals implicated in Ksh11 billion in fraudulent claims rejected by the Social Health Authority’s (SHA) fraud detection system. Duale affirmed these claims, identified through forensic audits, will not be paid. Concurrently, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) have initiated a crackdown on unlicensed health facilities in Nairobi, leading to arrests.