Nairobi doctors won’t be paid for days on strike, says Kidero

Nairobi County will not pay its doctors for the days they were on strike, Governor Evans Kidero has insisted saying such payments can only amount to a donation.

Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting between ODM aspirants and the party’s election Board, Dr Kidero said contractual laws must be followed and only the doctors who did not participate in the industrial action would get their salaries.

“Morally and contractually, you only get paid when you work and the people who worked will be paid. How do you get paid when you do not work?” posed Dr Kidero.

On President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive last Thursday that the doctors be paid their salaries for the three months they were on strike, Dr Kidero said county governments work with the national government through cooperation and not on orders and directives.

EXPOSE COUNTIES

Governor Kidero’s stance is supported by the Council of Governors, which on Tuesday accused the President of putting them on a collision course with the doctors following his directive, saying that they did not have money to carry out such a directive unless they got funds from other sectors.

Council of Governors health committee chairman Jack Ranguma (Kisumu) said such payments would only expose counties to audit queries as they had agreed that only work done would be paid for.

Dr Kidero accused the National government of deliberately stalling the Integrated Financial Management and Information System (Ifmis) to stop county governments from receiving money to pay salaries which would cause hatred with their workers which would eventually paint them in bad light.

“Why is the system always collapsing only during the time we are supposed to pay our workers? Right now we cannot even access the funds yet they are at the Central Bank,” he said.

ODM PRIMARIES

Meanwhile, Governor Kidero said the Orange Democratic Movement is committed to free, fair and credible primaries.

“The only way that we can be strong as a party and ensure we beat Jubilee, is to remain united even after the primaries. Let us support each other,” said Dr Kidero.

He said ODM would consider surrendering some positions to the affiliate parties within the National Super Alliance (Nasa), if that would make the Opposition win a majority of the seats.

“We shall negotiate, especially in Nairobi and Mombasa, because at the end of the day, Jubilee is our only enemy,” he said.

The governor added that they will soon launch campaigns across the city to inform their supporters not to travel upcountry during elections, saying that 15 to 20 per cent of ODM supporters, who are registered voters in the city, always travel to their rural homes during election time for fear of violence.