- Machakos County workers have given the county government 24 hours to address salary arrears.
- Eight unions are demanding payment of salaries, remittance of deductions and activation of medical cover.
- Workers warn they will begin a seven-day Salary Parade on Tuesday if demands remain unresolved.
Machakos County workers have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the county government over delayed salaries and related employment grievances, warning that they will stage a county-wide Salary Parade on Tuesday if their demands are not met.
The notice gives the county government until 5pm on Monday, September 21, 2026, to pay all outstanding salaries and verified arrears, including those owed to staff recruited from 2023 to date who are yet to be properly captured on the payroll. The unions are also demanding the remittance of outstanding third-party deductions so that statutory and pension accounts are brought up to date. A separate report on the ultimatum confirms the 5pm Monday deadline and the planned Tuesday action.
The unions, which bring together nurses, clinical officers, medical laboratory officers, environmental health officers, doctors, nutritionists, pharmaceutical technologists and general county workers, are also demanding the immediate activation of medical insurance covers to ensure all eligible employees have access to the medical scheme by the deadline.
They further want regular and timely payment of salaries not later than the fifth day of every month to prevent recurrence of arrears, regularisation of the payroll for legally recruited staff, and a clear and time-bound payment schedule for any dues that cannot be settled immediately, backed by regular and transparent communication on implementation.
The caucus says the Salary Parade, scheduled to begin at 9am on Tuesday, September 22, at the county headquarters and other designated departmental head offices, will be peaceful and lawful.
It is intended to provide employees with a collective platform to express their concerns over what they describe as severe financial strain caused by delayed pay, with some workers struggling to meet basic obligations despite continuing to report for duty.
Workers cite labour rights
In the notice, the unions cite Article 41 of the Constitution on fair labour practices and provisions of the Employment Act governing payment of wages.
Section 17 of the Employment Act requires employers to pay wages earned by employees, while Section 18 sets out when wages and salaries fall due. Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court has also recognised payment of salary as central to the employment contract.
The unions warn that in the absence of satisfactory action or a credible commitment by the deadline, the Salary Parade will run for seven days, after which they will consider issuing a formal strike notice and pursuing other lawful and peaceful measures to secure settlement of the outstanding obligations.
The joint notice is signed by officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, County Government Workers Union-Kenya, Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers, Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Kenya Union of Nutritionists and Dieticians and Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists.
Copies were sent to Governor Wavinya Ndeti and other senior county officials.
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The ultimatum comes amid the continuing Machakos budget standoff, which unions say has contributed to delayed salaries and other financial obligations affecting county workers.
By Gastone Valusi, Machakos
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