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Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong has asked nurses in the region to be content with salary they are earning now and shelve the planned strike.
Speaking when he attended the mass at St. Stephens ACK in Busia town Ojaamong observed that the county was not able to pay nurses more money since Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has not approved the move.
He noted that locals in need of medical services are going to suffer should nurses make good their threat and down tools on February 18th.
“Our hands are tied because SRC has refused to give us green light to pay nurses allowances they are demanding,” said Ojaamong.
He added, "our nurses are well paid so let them be satisfied with the current salary then we shall pay all the allowances they are asking for when we have money and SRC approves the payment."
The Governor further said the Sh553million county received from Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP) last year for better service delivery has already been put to use.
He said his administration was committed to ensuring that health sector in Busia improved. “My government has always paid medics and nurses on time and we would like to continue that way but within proper legal framework,” said Ojaamong.
Meanwhile, the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) General Secretary has written a letter to the County Public Service Board and County Secretary Nicodemus Mulaku to notify them of the looming strike.
Panyako said the issues nurses were advocating for were supposed to have been implemented by the county government more than two years.
Among issues the nurses’ boss wants Ojaamong’s administration to address to avert strike is employment of more nurses on permanent and pensionable terms.
He also wants county to implement all the due promotions and re-designation and establish County Director of Nursing Service.
“Failure to implement agreement as per this letter shall result into a strike by our members in your county which shall commence on February 18, 2019 and continue until full implementation shall have been achieved,” the letter reads further.
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