300 health workers to miss out on promotions

Kenya health proffesional society in Kisumu when they staged a demonstration along the sreets of Kisumu on February 17 2017. They demanded that the health service allowance negotiated for in Nairobi be given to all members starting end of February 2017 and with arrears from January as was agreed by partners (Council of governors, Ministry of health and national government). PIC BY COLLINS ODUOR

At least 300 health workers will miss out on promotions and other negotiated benefits, The Standard can reveal.

According to a deal between health workers and their employer, clinical officers will be entitled to Sh20, 000 health service allowance and Sh10, 000 call allowance.

However, according to the Kenya Health Professional Society (KHPS), the affected health workers cannot benefit from promotions and are not assured of the negotiated benefits as they are still on probation, two years after they were recruited.

Vincent Owaa, KHPS Kisumu County chairman, led the affected health workers to present a petition to Governor Jack Ranguma on Friday in the hope of pushing him to fast-track their confirmations before implementation of the negotiated benefits.

"Even the labour laws indicate that one can only be on probation for six months. Why do we have to work for over two years before confirmation?" said Mr Owaa.

The county government recruited at least 300 health workers across the 27 cadres in late 2015. These include clinical officers, laboratory technicians, nurses and public health officers.

The hired health workers have been working under the economic stimulus programme since 2013.

All the staff were then put on probation, with assurances that their appointments would be confirmed within six months to allow them to get full benefits.

"Today, these people cannot access loans from commercial banks. The banks are turning them down, saying they are on probation so their employment is not guaranteed," said Austine Oduor, the KHPS national deputy secretary.

Mr Oduor said their attempts to meet Mr Ranguma had failed as the Council of Governor's Health committee chairman gave endless promises to sort the matter out.

Ojwang Lusi, the Health chief officer, yesterday said the health workers were yet to receive confirmation letters but "they will be receiving the letters soon".