County seeks to have union officials jailed on contempt of court claim
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary-General Ouma Oluga addresses a press conference at Best Western Hotel in Mombasa on February 8, 2015. Nyeri County wants him jailed for contempt of court. FILE PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The county administration said Ouma Oluga, Gor Goody and Wairimu Mwaniki breached a court order issued on November 2 that declared the strike illegal.
The Nyeri County government wants officials of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPPDU) jailed for contempt of court.
The county administration, through lawyer Patrick Ngunjiri, said Ouma Oluga (secretary-general), Gor Goody and Wairimu Mwaniki, the union's leaders in Central Kenya, breached a court order issued on November 2 that declared the strike illegal.
Judge Byram Ongaya of the Employment and Labour Relations Court issued stay orders against a strike by the Nyeri health workers that happened in October and November.
Judge Ongaya ordered the workers to resume duty without victimisation or harassment pending negotiations, an order that was extended to December 9.
Mr Ngunjiri, while filing the case under a certificate of urgency before Justice Ongaya, said the union members in the county were not supposed to participate in the nationwide strike that began on December 5.
“Nyeri health workers have blatantly breached a court order that was in existence by participating in the nationwide strike,” the lawyer told the court.
“They are endangering the lives of Nyeri residents as they cannot access medical care. Residents are suffering irreparable harm and imminent death due to lack of medical attention,” he added.
He further said the county government had been meeting the union officials as it was previously ordered by the court to resolve the workers' grievances, which include promotions and the hiring of new medical officers.
The case will be heard on December 15.
