Nurses threaten to vote for Raila due to prolonged salary negotiations

A team of nurses from the Kitui County Referral Hospital took to the streets in Kitui town on July 10, 2017 to protest over their allowances in the controversial Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) pay deal. [Paul Mutua, Standard]

The National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) has threatened to 'disgrace' the Jubilee government in the upcoming election as the pay row drags on.

The health workers said President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election would be in jeopardy if their demands are not met on time.

NNAK chairman Alfred Obengo said: "We have elections in August and we have 40,000 nurses and the winner needs 50 per cent votes plus one. Our numbers cannot be ignored."

He added: "So as you (President Uhuru) go on with the campaign, do not for one moment think nurses' votes are not important."

The nurses had camped at Uhuru Park to protest at the Government's silence on a pay deal they claim they had reached with their employer.

They stormed the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) offices but this did not help matters as SRC chairperson Sarah Serem said she was waiting for communication from the governors. [Graham Kajilwa]