Kisumu health workers' strike enters second day

Kisumu healthcare workers are on their second day of strike over salary arrears.

Through their work union, they said they will stay at home until their pending salaries are paid.

Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) Kisumu branch chair Maurice Opetu said his members are at home and will not report to work until the county government pays their salaries.

This is the fifth time Kisumu healthcare workers are as staging industrial action over salaries this year.

According to Mr Opetu, some of their members have not received their salaries for the past three months.

In a press briefing at the Kisumu County Referral Hospital on Friday, the joint committee also complained that the health workers had been working with erratic and inconsistent supply of personal protective equipment.

 "We will keep off work until the county pays all the pending salaries. We are left with no option but to advice the members to proceed on a salary parade," said Mr Opetu.

They said persistent follow up by the health workers unions and a written commitment to the Kisumu county government had been ignored by their employer.

"The health workers in Kisumu have not been paid and continue living as paupers," said Mr Opetu.

He accused the Kisumu county government of poor communication.

“If they knew they were not going to pay as per their commitment deadline, they ought to have written to us their reasons for the delay,” he said.