Also known as: COG
Umbrella organization representing Kenya's county governments, engaged in healthcare labor disputes and devolution implementation.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… t be clear mechanisms for tracking and reporting on agreed actions.By embracing this approach, county governments can move closer to a governance model that is not only accountable but also inclusive, responsive, and transformative. – Chief Executive Officer, Council of Governors …
Let citizens do scoring for the county leadersThe Standard
… Subscribe to our newsletterShe said there was a need for the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the State Department for Public Works and the Council of Governors (CoG), to mandate that architectural approvals explicitly meet promotive and preventive health standards. …
Incorporate public health guidelines into public works, Health PS urges architectsThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeThe Council of Governors (CoG) has urged Parliament to amend the Public Finance Management Act to allow the counties access to conditional allocations worth Sh75.7 billion as soon as the County Government Additional Allocation Bill, 2026, is enacted. …
Governors demand PFM Act changes to unlock Sh75.7 billion grant bonusCapital News
… The Committee, which is currently conducting public participation on the Roads Act (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 34 of 2025, said it had already received submissions from the Ministry of Roads and Transport, the Council of Governors and the Commission on Revenue Al …
Senate committee pushes for 49pc Fuel Levy share to counties in proposed Roads BillThe Standard
… akamega Governor Fernandes Barasa addresses faithful during Easter mass at Holy Spirit Bulimbo Catholic church in Matungu, on April 5, 2026. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard] Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has welcomed the recent truce between the Senate and the Council of Governors …
Barasa calls for mutual respect between governors and senatorsThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeThere was a storm in the Senate following a truce reached between the House leadership and the Council of Governors on Monday, with most Senators raising concerns that they were kept in the dark. …
"We are not aware": Senators claim kept in dark on truce with governorsThe Standard
The stalemate between the Senate and the Council of Governors over non-appearance before Senate watchdog committees after months of defiance has ended. …
Governors agree to appear before Senate watchdog committeesThe Standard
The stalemate between the Senate and the Council of Governors over non-appearance before Senate watchdog committees after months of defiance has ended. …
Governors eat humble pie, agree to appear before Senate committeesCitizen Digital
… Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said the Senate had reached an agreement with the Council of Governors, paving the way for governors to resume appearances before Senate oversight committees. …
Governors end Senate boycott after truce over oversight standoffThe Standard
… The Senate and the Council of Governors must stop performing this tired drama and sit down to resolve their differences. …
Put end to standoff between senators and governors over accountabilityThe Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives said striking nurses will not return to work despite disciplinary action from several counties following a court injunction declaring the strike illegal and a Council of Governors directive to implement discipline. The strike, now in its third week, involves nurses in Nyandarua, Mombasa, Kericho, Embu, Kisumu and Uasin Gishu counties.
13 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives said striking nurses will not return to work despite disciplinary action from several counties following a court injunction declaring the strike illegal and a Council of Governors directive to implement discipline. The strike, now in its third week, involves nurses in Nyandarua, Mombasa, Kericho, Embu, Kisumu and Uasin Gishu counties.
13 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Council of Governors has disputed the County Fiscal Performance Measurement Index (CFPMI) launched by the Parliamentary Budget Office, arguing that its methodology fails to provide a fair and comprehensive assessment of county government performance. The index ranked Embu as the best-managed county while placing Kisumu, Kakamega, Busia, Bomet and Nairobi among the poorest fiscal performers.
12 August 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's nurses' union has dismissed the Council of Governors' threat to direct counties to hire new nurses during the ongoing strike, maintaining that striking nurses will only return once their grievances—including unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreements dating to 2013, delayed promotions, and staffing shortages—are addressed.
10 August 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's nationwide nurses' strike remains unresolved after a week of meetings between the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives, the Council of Governors, and other government agencies. The union and governors are divided over whether key Collective Bargaining Agreement issues have been agreed upon or remain open to further negotiation.
8 August 2026 · The Standard →
The government announced sweeping reforms to manage its vehicle fleet, including mandatory real-time tracking for all official vehicles through a centralized Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS) to curb misuse of public assets and enhance accountability. The initiative follows a high-level consultative meeting among the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and security agencies to address persistent challenges including misuse of government registration plates, poor fuel and mileage records, and inadequate accounting for donor-funded vehicles.
7 August 2026 · Capital News →
County governments have reported significant progress in expanding healthcare, education, agriculture and other devolved services, but warned that inadequate funding, delayed transfer of devolved functions and capacity constraints continue to hinder full implementation of devolution. Council of Governors Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi called for faster transfer of devolved functions together with the resources required to implement them.
7 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Council of Governors chairman Ahmed Abdullahi declared the ongoing nurses' strike illegal and warned that counties will take action against health workers who continue to stay away from duty despite court orders suspending the strike. Abdullahi said governors are already negotiating new Collective Bargaining Agreements with health unions and questioned why nurses had resorted to industrial action while talks were ongoing.
7 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Council of Governors has warned that despite increased county health investment, fewer expectant mothers are completing recommended antenatal care visits, a trend that could undermine efforts to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. Health experts say regular antenatal care is critical for detecting pregnancy complications and ensuring timely interventions.
7 August 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's nurses have rejected the Council of Governors' appeal to end their strike, insisting they will continue protesting unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreements, delayed promotions, and staffing shortages until formal return-to-work agreements are signed.
6 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
County governments increased health allocations by 11.7 per cent to about Sh154.58 billion in the 2025/26 financial year while expanding medical infrastructure, but the county health workforce shrank by 26 per cent from 149,447 to 98,907 workers following the exit of about 41,000 workers funded under US government programmes. Despite this setback, counties continued recruiting clinical officers, laboratory technicians and nurses, and the number of licensed public health facilities increased from 6,649 to 6,740.
6 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives maintains its strike, begun July 29, remains ongoing despite some county officials' claims it has ended. Upcoming meetings with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and Council of Governors on a proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement could determine whether longstanding grievances move toward implementation.
2 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives has maintained that the nationwide strike that began on July 29 remains in force, warning members against returning to work following claims by some county officials that the industrial action has been called off. The union says only its General Secretary has authority to end the strike, and nurses will return to work once the Council of Governors and Salaries and Remuneration Commission sign and implement a collective bargaining agreement.
2 August 2026 · The Standard →
Healthcare services in three Rift Valley counties were paralysed as nurses and clinical officers struck over unresolved grievances. In Kericho County, the Kenya National Union of Nurses protested delays in implementing the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement; in Uasin Gishu County, members cited delayed salary payments and unfulfilled collective bargaining agreements.
31 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Undugu Society of Kenya has called for urgent national action to address homelessness, describing it as a constitutional, governance and social justice crisis requiring a fundamental shift in Kenya's approach to housing and inclusion. Stakeholders warn the true scale of homelessness is significantly higher than official government data, with estimates suggesting the number could reach 500,000 when broader categories of housing insecurity are considered.
29 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Stakeholders at the National Conference on the State of Homelessness and Street-Connectedness in Nairobi challenged the government's official figure of about 18,000 homeless people, estimating between 300,000 and 500,000 people could be homeless or street-connected in Kenya. They called for urgent national action, noting that a 2019 national census estimated about 46,000 street-connected people before the official figure later dropped to 18,000.
29 July 2026 · The Standard →
Social media reports alleged President Ruto reassigned Deputy President Kindiki's role in coordinating intergovernmental affairs to Prime Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi; Kindiki dismissed the claims as "fake news," and a governance expert says the controversy stems from misunderstanding Kenya's legal framework rather than an actual transfer of constitutional power.
28 July 2026 · Capital News →
A dispute between the national Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors over Universal Health Coverage is affecting medical service provision as a health workers' strike continued. The Ministry requested the Public Service Commission move staff to counties, while the CoG accused the Ministry of sabotaging county governments by inciting the strike.
24 July 2026 · The Standard →
Council of Governors Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi accused the Ministry of Health of fuelling health worker strikes by failing to honour funding and administrative agreements, insisting county governments are being unfairly blamed for public healthcare disruptions. Abdullahi said counties will begin paying doctors revised Collective Bargaining Agreement rates from August after recently obtaining a special payroll code from the Ministry of Public Service.
23 July 2026 · Capital News →
Health unions blamed county governments for an ongoing nationwide strike by Universal Health Coverage workers, accusing governors of failing to implement an Sh8.9 billion budget allocation meant to transition healthcare workers to permanent and pensionable terms. The strike, now in its third day, saw union members demanding implementation of employment agreements, permanent and pensionable appointment letters, inclusion in July payroll, and recognition agreements.
23 July 2026 · Capital News →
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives issued a seven-day strike notice on July 23, threatening to withdraw services nationwide from July 29 unless national and county governments resolve long-standing labour grievances including collective bargaining rights, delayed promotions, and absorption of UHC workers into permanent terms.
23 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Council of Governors has instructed County Public Service Boards to ignore a Ministry of Health directive to absorb UHC workers on permanent and pensionable terms. CoG Chairman Ahmed Abdullahi said the Sh8.9 billion allocated to counties for UHC workers covers only one financial year, and counties cannot commit to permanent employment without clarity on future funding sources.
23 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has threatened to call a nationwide doctors' strike if county governments fail to implement long-delayed basic salary adjustments and clear outstanding arrears under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Union Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah directed doctors across all 47 counties to verify whether revised salary scales were reflected in July 2026 payslips, warning of immediate industrial action and contempt of court proceedings against non-compliant accounting officers.
22 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Health Unions Caucus members begin daily street demonstrations across all 47 counties as their nationwide strike enters its third day, demanding conversion of UHC workers to permanent and pensionable terms, inclusion in July payroll, implementation of the 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement, and signing of recognition agreements.
22 July 2026 · Capital News →
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has threatened a nationwide strike, directing doctors in all 47 counties to check their July 2026 payslips and warning of industrial action if revised salaries or a payment schedule for arrears are not reflected.
22 July 2026 · The Standard →
Public hospitals in Nairobi and other parts of the country continued to operate on Tuesday despite the start of a nationwide health workers' strike, with patients reporting little or no service disruption. The strike was announced by the Health Union Caucus, citing county governments' failure to address healthcare workers' grievances.
21 July 2026 · The Standard →
Medical practitioners across Kenya began a nationwide strike at midnight on July 20, 2026, after months of failed negotiations over the government's failure to absorb Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into permanent and pensionable terms. The strike is expected to cripple healthcare delivery in all 47 counties.
21 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Health Union Caucus has commenced a nationwide strike over unresolved grievances including workers' welfare, job security and terms of employment, saying the Council of Governors has failed to respond to demands submitted on June 15.
20 July 2026 · Capital News →
Kenya's sugarcane farmer groups have threatened nationwide protests and warned they could withdraw political support for President William Ruto in 2027 over claims of a coordinated scheme by government, sugar cartels and millers to obstruct Kenya Sugar Board director elections through court cases. A Kakamega High Court judge has scheduled further directions for July 31, 2026, prolonging the legal stalemate after elections initially planned for June 25 were delayed.
16 July 2026 · The Standard →
Health unions have threatened a nationwide strike starting Monday if the Council of Governors does not confirm Universal Health Coverage staff to permanent and pensionable employment. Parliament has allocated funds for the transition, but county governments have delayed the process, leaving thousands of health workers uncertain about their jobs and benefits.
15 July 2026 · The Standard →
The Health Union Caucus announced a nationwide strike beginning at midnight on July 20, 2026, citing the Council of Governors' failure to address grievances over workers' welfare, job security, and terms of employment after demands were submitted on June 15.
14 July 2026 · Capital News →