Patients have been left on their own in Kajiado County as a strike by nurses and midwives entered the third week amid a hard stance by the local government.
At least 650 nurses and midwives under the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) union have boycotted work since February 28 after the expiry of a seven-day notice to their employer, the County government of Kajiado.
The strike has hit operations at the Kajiado County Referral Hospital, four of the five sub-county hospitals, and at least 100 dispensaries across the county.
A video clip obtained by Nation from the hospital reveals deserted wards, with minimal activities across departments.
"By Saturday, we had only five patients in both male and female wards in Kajiado Referral Hospital with no further admissions. The maternity wing and theatre department are not operating but the renal unit is in operation,” said Wilson Leala, KNUNM Kajiado branch secretary.
Kajiado County Referral Hospital outpatient department on March 18, 2025.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
Most of the patients are said to have been transferred by their relatives last week, leaving most facilities deserted.
However, Kitengela Sub-County Hospital, which largely depends on temporarily hired nurses under the Locum programme, and several rural health centers manned by clinical officers are still offering services.
According to a letter seen by Nation , the workers are demanding full implementation of their return-to-work formula entered on January 16 that ended their previous strike over an unfulfilled Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The medics are accusing the county government of failure to engage the union on the CBA and to promote the nurses as earlier promised.
The Governor Joseph ole Lenku administration is also being accused of failing to designate specialised nurses while utilising their services terming the move as an infringement of labor laws.
Delayed remittance of statutory deductions has been another thorny issue, with the union claiming non-remittance of 17-month and five-month pay slip deductions for the pension scheme and Social Health Authority (SHA), respectively.
Under SHA, the dejected striking medics’ claims are categorised as casuals denying them any privileged medical care.
Deserted wards at Kajiado County Referral Hospital.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
Further, the medics want the county to implement the new SRC salary structure for 2024 and address the nurse shortage in the vast county.
Failure to convert nurses working under Universal Health Care, commonly referred to as UHC nurses into Permanent and pensionable staff, is another issue contained in the CBA.
In another letter obtained by Nation , a labor officer, Mr Stanley Kemboi, earlier appointed by Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua as a conciliator, was supposed to spearhead talks between the county and nurses union in Kajiado but the county representatives gave the meeting a wide berth, dashing hopes of a truce.
KNUNM National Secretary General Stephen Warutere has castigated the county government for resorting to blackmail and intimidation in its bid to end the strike.
"Kajiado County has turned into a hostile employer. Some of the nurses have received transfer letters while some have been issued with show-cause letters," said Mr Warutere as he condemned the acts.
“We will not be cowed. We will move to a court of law to protect our members. The union is ready for negotiations any time."
Mr Wilson Leala, KNUNM Kajiado Branch Secretary, on Monday, told Nation that he had received a transfer letter to Shompole in Magadi, Kajiado West Sub County. The remote Shompole area straddles the Kenya-Tanzania borderline.
"My transfer is meant to silence me. Anytime the county is at loggerhead with our members, I get a transfer but I will soldier on for the welfare of our members,” said Mr Leala, adding that the Kajiado medics are fundraising for a nurse who cannot access SHIF cover for Cornea transplant at a Nairobi hospital.
Deserted wards at Kajiado County Referral Hospital.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
Kajiado County Medical Services and Public Health County Executive Committee (CEC) member Alex Kilowua told Nation on Monday the county was rooting for a win-win return-to-work formula.
"It's unfortunate the strike is hurting hundreds of patients but we are moving in earnest for a truce with striking nurses and midwives. They (nurses) are a major artery in the health care sector,” said Mr Kilowua without divulging details.
The KNUNM strike was effected barely two days after at least 4,600 Kajiado County government employees in different departments threatened to down their tools over delayed salaries and non-remittance of statutory deductions amounting to Sh390 million.
In a joint letter signed by eight worker's unions addressed to the county secretary and head of the public service, the umbrella bodies accused the devolved unit of ruining labour relations.
