Due to delayed salaries, medical professionals in 12 counties have announced that they will not report to work on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
Some impacted counties include Kisumu, Mombasa, Nyamira, Kisii, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Embu, Nyeri, Laikipia, Bomet, Vihiga, and Taita Taveta.
An announcement was made jointly to newsrooms. The leaders of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), and Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists' Union (KMPDU) expressed outrage that their members had not yet received their March dues, saying that this has put them in a vulnerable financial situation.
The presidents of the Kenya Union of Nutritionists and Dieticians, the Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists, Kenya Health Professional Society also signed the declaration.
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"As a result, they are unable to meet their daily needs, including transportation, food, and accommodation expenses. We wish to emphasize that this is not a strike notice, but rather a demonstration of the inability of our members to attend work due to lack of resources," said the union heads.
"We cannot continue to work under such conditions, as it has become increasingly difficult for our members to meet their basic needs," they added.
The union leaders further asked the counties that may be impacted by their decision to resolve their complaints to prevent more service interruptions immediately.
Last week, In a joint statement read by Dr Davji Atellah, secretary general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), the workers threatened to stop working if their outstanding wages were not paid within the following seven days.
They cited a letter from Council of Governors (CoG) Chairperson Anne Waiguru, who stated that the National Treasury owes county governments Ksh. 92 billion, and asserted that the healthcare sector still needed to receive the necessary priority in the devolution of government that was instituted ten years ago.
