Health workers to strike over delayed pay

Health workers countrywide have threatened to down tools on Monday over delayed salaries.

Reports indicate over half of the counties are yet to pay doctors and nurses, prompting their unions to call for work boycott if they will not have received their salaries in the next few days.

Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union Sultani Matendechero said it was impractical to expect doctors to work when they can't meet their basic needs.

"Some doctors have even been given eviction notices from their houses for non-payment of rent. This is totally unacceptable. No good reasons have been advanced for the delay," he said.

Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Seth Panyako said a countrywide strike will begin by Monday if July salaries will not have been paid.

Head of Health Committee in the Council of Governors Jack Ranguma, who is also the Kisumu Governor, said counties had money in their accounts, but could be experiencing difficulties in the ICT systems that run the payrolls.

The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Prof Fred Segor, distanced himself from the crisis saying the salaries issue was between health workers and county governments.

"This issue should be resolved by both parties but we are ready to facilitate dialogue between them to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," he said.

KNUN officials were yesterday compiling the list of counties where health workers have not been paid.

Two weeks ago, a joint statement by cabinet secretaries of Devolution and Planning, National Treasury and Health said the delay had occurred in the process of re-configuring systems, votes and personnel details.

On Tuesday, nurses at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu County staged demonstrations over delayed July salaries.

Yesterday, nurses in Coast region issued a seven-day strike notice.