Good morning. Kenya wakes up to nurses returning to hospitals after a six-week strike, a fresh multibillion-shilling push to complete devolution and questions over SHA changes coming next month. Internationally, the US-Iran conflict is keeping oil above $100 a barrel. Here are the five stories to start your day.
1. Nurses return to hospitals after 43-day strike, but a new deadline begins
Nurses are expected back at work across Kenya after their union ended a 43-day nationwide strike following a return-to-work agreement with the government. The deal, however, does not resolve everything. It gives the parties 45 days to conclude negotiations over implementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, meaning another important deadline is already running. Doctors had threatened their own industrial action as they struggled with the additional workload caused by the nurses' absence.
What to watch today: How quickly services return to normal, particularly maternity, outpatient and inpatient services, and whether the government can resolve the outstanding CBA issues within 45 days.
2. Ruto pushes Sh65.9bn transfer to counties as devolution enters another phase
President William Ruto has directed the Treasury to facilitate the transfer of resources associated with functions that should be performed by county governments, with Sh65.9 billion identified following an intergovernmental verification process. He said functions should not be transferred without the money required to perform them. Counties have been allocated Sh503.5 billion in the current financial year.
There is an important timing detail: recommendations concerning the previously identified Sh65.9 billion are to be considered for the 2027/28 financial year, while other verified resource requirements could be considered earlier. So this should not be reported as Sh65.9 billion landing in county accounts today.
What to watch: Which functions finally move completely from Nairobi to counties, and whether the money follows them as promised.
3. SHA's October hospital changes: Today is a key deadline
The Social Health Authority is preparing a new contracting cycle for healthcare providers running from October 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029. Hospitals and other stakeholders have until 11:59pm tonight, September 10, to submit feedback on the proposed contracts.
For ordinary Kenyans, the bigger question comes next: which hospitals will be contracted under the new cycle and whether the specific services patients currently receive will continue to be available through SHA.
What to watch: SHA's final contracts and, crucially, the updated list of participating facilities before October 1.
4. Planned power cuts to affect parts of 10 counties today
Households and businesses in parts of 10 counties should prepare for planned electricity interruptions today as Kenya Power carries out network maintenance, upgrades, new connections and other works. Affected areas include parts of Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa and Nyeri, with some interruptions beginning from about 8:30am.
What to watch: If your business, office or home depends on continuous electricity, check whether your specific area appears on Kenya Power's scheduled interruption notice rather than assuming the entire county will lose power.
5. Oil stays above $100 as US-Iran attacks on shipping intensify
This is the global story with perhaps the most direct potential impact on Kenyan pockets. Brent crude remained above $100 a barrel this morning, trading at about $101.34 after Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the US sinking five Iranian oil tankers.
Oil flows through Hormuz remain well below pre-war levels. Before the conflict, the waterway carried roughly a fifth of global oil and gas supplies. Sustained disruption matters for Kenya because the country imports petroleum products, meaning prolonged high international prices can eventually feed into fuel, transport and other consumer costs.
What to watch: Not simply whether oil crosses $100, but how long it stays there. A sustained increase poses a much greater risk to Kenya's next fuel-pricing cycles, inflation and the shilling than a short-lived spike.
LiveNow Africa morning line: The nurses are back, but Kenya's health story is far from over. SHA faces another major transition, counties are demanding money to match their responsibilities, and an escalating conflict thousands of kilometres away could eventually make everyday life in Kenya more expensive.
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Category: News · Related Topic: Social Health Authority (SHA)
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