Nairobi County pleads with workers over salaries delay

What you need to know:

  • City Hall spends Sh1.3 billion on salaries for its 13,000 workers and suffered a major blow when the Central Bank transferred money from the county governments' account to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to cover arrears of up to Sh1 billion.
  • County Secretary Robert Ayisi said the doctors already went on strike for over 100 days and the decision not to pay them came from the Council of Governors.

Nairobi county workers have been urged to be patient over their delayed April salaries.

City Hall spends Sh1.3 billion on salaries for its 13,000 workers and suffered a major blow when the Central Bank transferred money from the county governments' account to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to cover arrears of up to Sh1 billion.

Speaking to the Nation, county Secretary Robert Ayisi said City Hall wants to have the transfer reversed. He said officials were exploring all avenues, including meeting with Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and taking legal action.

“I sent a team to the Treasury CS on Tuesday, but he was not there. We are going back today to seek audience with him over the issue. I am yet to receive feedback from lawyer Tom Ojienda,” said Dr Ayisi.

He said he had also sent out a memo to workers over the delay informing them that the salaries had been delayed “due to unavoidable circumstances”.

In the memo, Dr Ayisi says payment will be expedited once a solution is found.

TIRED OF PROTESTS

And while responding to a doctors’ protest on Monday over the delay, Dr Ayisi said the doctors already went on strike for over 100 days and the decision not to pay them came from the Council of Governors.

He added that Governor Evans Kidero had made it clear that he is running a city not a charity organisation.

“They can go back on strike for 200 more years…it is beyond my control to pay them after the governor refused to pay the doctors stating that he does not have money to give as charity,” said Dr Ayisi.

He said he will only pay doctors their April salaries but they have to understand that the current situation has to be sorted out before they are paid.

County executive for health Ben Muia also reiterated that doctors should be patient.

NO MONEY

"Be patient, we are sorting the salary issue…we do not have money since we have our money is held by KRA," said Dr Muia.

Nairobi County KMPDU Secretary-General Thuranira Kaugiria cancelled a demonstration planned for Wednesday, saying the county was undertaking a head count of its staff.

Dr Thuranira said doctors were to demonstrate over salaries, lack of hospital supplies and the yet-to-be-signed collective bargaining agreement.

Dr Ayisi, however, denied knowledge of any counting of workers taking place.