By Ally Jamah

Kenyans are holding their breath over the national strike by nurses planned for Monday, as rival unions take contradicting positions.

The strike has been called by the unregistered Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) and the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNKA) to push for the registration of a stand-alone nurses union, instead of splitting them into three different unions.

But it is opposed by the giant Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS), which currently represents nurses in public hospitals and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha), which covers nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital. It is also opposed by the Kenya Progressive Nurses Association.

KNUN Secretary General Seth Panyako promised a “mother of all strikes” will begin today across the country until the Government issues them with a certificate of registration.

“The army of nurses is ready to flood into the streets until our fight is won. We will not be intimidated by anyone,” he said.

But in sharp rejoinder, UKCS, which currently represents nurses in the public sector called for the arrest of KNUN and NNAK officials for leading nurses to an illegal strike.

UKCS’s Head of Medical Chapter Evans Nasebe said KNUN cannot lead a strike since it is not registered, terming it illegal under the Labour Relations Act.

He said NNAK is only meant to promote the professional development of nurses and not engage in strikes.

He cited a letter from the Chief Industrial Relations Officer in the Ministry of Labour Peter Macharia written to KNUN prohibiting its officials from engaging in any action before they are registered.

“These people are misleading the nurses into a strike that is not legally protected. If the nurses are sacked, they cannot defend themselves in court. Nurses will ignore the illegal strike,” he said. 

In an unexpected drama officials of KNUN and NNAK were detained at KNH for several hours and were being accused of illegally mobilising nurses in the facility to participate in the strike.

Those detained were NNAK’s chairperson at KNH Wilson Ochieng’ and KNUN branch secretary at the facility Purity Kagwiria after distributing leaflets within the hospital.  “The Constitution is clear that workers have a right to go on strike,” Panyako said at a news conference outside KNH yesterday. He was accompanied by KNUN Chairman Jophinus Musundi and other officials.

 According to a letter seen by The Standard, the registrar of trade unions rejected an application for registration by KNUN on the grounds that nurses are “sufficiently represented” by  other trade unions.

 KNUN submitted its application for registration in November last year, but only received rejection communication last month, one year down the line.