Shockwaves hit Kiambu County’s health sector as the Employment and Labour Relations Court stepped in to temporarily stop the county government from firing and replacing doctors amid a brewing health crisis.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued conservatory orders barring the Kiambu Chief Officer for Health and the County Public Service Board from proceeding with the recruitment of new doctors.
The decision comes pending the hearing of a petition challenging the legality of the county’s actions.
“The application is certified urgent and allowed in terms of prayers B and C of the Notice of Motion. This application should be served upon the respondents and be heard inter partes on October 28, 2025,” the court order read.
The petition, filed by a county doctor, argued that the move to sack existing doctors and hire new ones was unfair, unlawful, and in violation of labor laws.
The petitioner claims that despite submitting her application by the advertised October 15 deadline, she was told that candidates had already been shortlisted and interviewed, a process she described as opaque and unlawful.
The county had confirmed that several doctors who downed their tools during an industrial action had been relieved of their duties, with a plan to replace them immediately with new professionals.
However, the court’s intervention now halts this process, providing a temporary reprieve for the affected medical staff.
This is not the first time Kiambu County has faced legal hurdles over its handling of the health sector. In August, the court similarly blocked the county from recruiting new specialists while an industrial dispute with doctors remained unresolved.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which filed the petition, continues to challenge the county’s advertisement of 78 consultant positions in Job Group Q.
As tensions escalate, the upcoming hearing on October 28 will determine whether the county can proceed with its controversial recruitment or if the court will permanently halt the firings.
Until then, the fate of Kiambu’s doctors—and the county’s healthcare system—remains uncertain.
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