Dr. Muya Ndambuki, Machakos County Secretary and Head of Public Service, announced on Wednesday that more than 80 nurses had returned to their stations, describing the returns as a welcome step toward restoring services at county health facilities. Speaking to reporters, Dr. Ndambuki thanked those who “healed our calls” and urged remaining strikers to follow suit so that patient care across Machakos can continue uninterrupted.
The county gave clear timelines for those yet to return. Dr. Ndambuki said nurses who still intend to resume duty have until Friday at 8:00am to report back, while nurses on probation and those who are not union members were told they must be back by 8:00am the following day — a window he warned should not be ignored. “After that you will have crossed the Rubicon,” he said, adding that the county’s human resource policies and procedures would be invoked for any further defiance.
Addressing reports of intimidation, Dr. Ndambuki acknowledged that some nurses who want to come back have been threatened — he named WhatsApp groups and in-person pressure as channels of coercion — and issued a protective assurance. “You are protected; go back to your working stations, do not feel intimidated, discharge your responsibilities, provide services as you should, nobody can touch you,” he said, urging staff to prioritise patient care without fear.
The county’s ultimatum raises the stakes just as some services begin to stabilise, forcing a choice for remaining strikers between returning under the authority’s deadlines or facing formal disciplinary action. How union leaders respond to the allegations of intimidation and whether a negotiated settlement will follow remain key questions for residents dependent on public health services in Machakos.
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