The Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), Seth Panyako, has launched a scathing attack on the country’s devolved health system, saying it has failed to deliver quality healthcare to Kenyans and is plagued by inefficiency and mismanagement.

Speaking at a funeral in Kanyarakwat in West Pokot county, Panyako accused the devolved system of fragmenting service delivery and weakening the health sector, calling for the national government to reclaim control over healthcare management.

“Devolution was supposed to improve service delivery at the grassroots. But what we’ve witnessed is a deterioration of healthcare standards, poor working conditions for nurses, and a total lack of accountability at the county level,” Panyako said.

He argued that the fragmentation brought about by devolved governance has led to inconsistent policies across counties, a lack of proper staffing, delayed salaries for healthcare workers, and underfunded health facilities.

“The health sector should be managed by the national government to ensure uniform standards and accountability. You cannot have 47 different employers for nurses with varying pay structures and expect efficiency.” Said Panyako.

Panyako’s comments come at a time when healthcare workers across several countries have expressed frustrations over delayed salaries, lack of medical supplies, and poor working conditions.

He lamented that counties have turned health into a political tool, with governors often making unilateral decisions without consulting medical professionals on the ground.

Panyako also called on President William Ruto’s administration to do away with the annual health summit, terming it a “wasteful talk shop” that does not address the real issues affecting healthcare workers and patients.

“That summit has become a ceremonial event with no tangible impact. Year in, year out, we attend, listen to speeches, and then go back to the same broken system. It’s time to scrap it and invest those resources into strengthening our hospitals and healthcare workforce,” he declared.

Panyako further criticised the government for excluding the Kenya National Union of Nurses from this year’s health summit, calling it a blatant disregard for frontline healthcare workers.

“It is shameful and unfortunate that KNUN, the legitimate voice of nurses in Kenya, was not invited to the table. Nurses are the backbone of the health sector, yet they are being sidelined in critical conversations about their future,” he added.

Turning his guns on the Kenya Kwanza administration, Panyako accused the government of pushing forward “misguided policies” that are burdening ordinary Kenyans and workers. Among the issues he raised was the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA) insurance scheme, which he said is riddled with confusion and lacks proper stakeholder input.

“SHA was introduced without proper consultation. Nurses don’t even understand how it works, patients are confused, and the infrastructure to support it is simply not ready,” he said.

He also condemned the controversial affordable housing levy being deducted from workers’ salaries, including nurses, terming it a violation of workers’ rights.

“You cannot deduct a nurse’s salary to fund housing projects they will never afford. It’s an unjust policy that must be repealed,” Panyako said.

The KNUN boss warned that unless the government rethinks its healthcare strategy and begins genuine engagements with unions and professionals, the country risks further weakening an already ailing sector.

He called for urgent dialogue between the Ministry of Health, healthcare unions, and county governments to forge a sustainable, inclusive, and effective path forward.

“This is not about politics. It’s about the lives of Kenyans who rely on public hospitals every day. We must put aside ego and sit at the table to fix this system,” he said.