Kisii Governor James Ongwae is on the spot following the withholding of salaries of 75 nurses who participated in a nationwide strike that was called by their union in December 2020.
At the same time, confusion surrounds the resumption of normalcy in public hospitals in Kisii after health workers were barred from accessing their places of work, with Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) officials taking the county leadership to task over the same.
Since January, a section of nurses who took part in the strike are yet to be paid, with union officials now accusing Governor Ongwae’s administration of defying court orders.
The nurses downed their tools last December, citing failure by county governments to pay them risk allowances. They were also protesting over the stalled implementation of a collective bargaining agreement.
In February, Knun called off the strike following a restraining order issued by the Labour Court.
The suspension of the strike followed an order issued by Justice Maureen Onyango, who also stayed disciplinary measures that had been undertaken by nurses’ employers.
“More than 75 nurses in Kisii, among them union branch officials, have not received their dues since December. I want to tell Governor Ongwae to stop chest- thumping and honour court orders,” said Knun Secretary-General Seth Panyak on Thursday when he toured the region.
He challenged Governor Ongwae to “swallow his pride” and honour talks initiated by the union, saying Kisii is the only county where nurses have not been paid.
Kisii Knun branch secretary, Mr Eric Rioba, said they had also been barred from accessing their places of work. Services in public hospital have since been affected after nurses staged a go slow seeking to compel the county government to act.
"We are talking about more than seven months of salary arrears which the county government has refused to remit to our accounts,” Mr Rioba said.
He termed it shameful for people who work in critical health positions like doctors “to be taken round like clowns”.
Efforts by the Nation to reach the county executive for Health, Ms Sarah Omache, for a comment proved futile as calls and text messages went unanswered.
In January, Kisii County fired 103 striking nurses and clinical officers for allegedly absconding duty during the strike.
Health workers’ unions in the region are pressing for allowances and a review of their job groups. Those who received dismissal notices are union officials and a section of other employees.
“Please note that the officers whose names appear in the list were dismissed from public service by the office of the County Secretary and Head of Public Service with effect from December 19, 2020,” read a notice seen by the Nation which is signed by Ms Alice Abuki, the chief officer at the department of health.
The notice further directed Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital CEO Enock Ondari to ensure the dismissed health workers were barred from accessing their work stations.
