Nurses threaten strike over allowances
What you need to know:
- Nurses claims only Machakos, Mombasa and Migori counties have honoured agreement to pay service and uniform allowances.
- KNUN boss Seth Panyako says nurses in 18 counties to strike starting Monday.
- Mr Panyako says 20 other counties to join strike in March if their agreement will not have been implemented.
Nurses have threatened to go on strike starting next week if a return-to-work formula is not fully implemented.
Kenya National Union of Nurses General-Secretary Seth Panyako said that the strike will commence on February 4 if a negotiated agreement between the two levels of government entered on November 2, 2017 for service and uniform allowances is not honoured.
"The government has between now and Sunday to avert this strike but if SRC [Salaries and Remuneration Commission] continues to play cat and mouse games then the strike will proceed, " said Mr Panyako.
Mr Panyako said that only Mombasa, Machakos and Migori counties have honoured the agreement.
He said the strike will start first in 18 counties, then 20 other counties that had pledged to honour agreement next month will join on March 4 if deal is not implemented.
The 18 counties are: Kwale, Kirinyaga, Marsabit, Mandera, Embu, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Kisumu, Kisii, Garissa, Nyeri, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, Tharaka Nithi, West Pokot, Nairobi, Kitui, Wajir, Homa Bay, Murang'a and Taita Taveta.
Mr Panyako accused SRC of frustrating the implementation of the agreement by placing preconditions that must be met by the county governments before it authorises the payments.
"We find these games played by SRC as political gimmicks meant to sabotage President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda and as a union we shall not accept," said Mr Panyako.
