According to health workers, county government officials allegedly ask for bribes before shortlisting a candidate for a job interview in the health sector.

In an appearance on a tv show, Bethwel Libeya, a pharmacist, claimed that county government officials occasionally seek for bribes before shortlisting a candidate.

PHOTO | COURTESY Health workers and doctors decry unemployment

He claims he knows of colleagues who have been asked to pay bribes of around 500,000 to be considered for interviews.

He further said that pharmacy jobs are limited in the country and that the county government rarely advertise for these posts.

He added that he believes Vacancies for pharmacists aren't as plentiful, especially in counties; some counties haven't advertised for pharmacists' positions in the last three years.

Donald Ngalula, a nurse, stated that working in local public hospitals is not an option for him due to bad working conditions.

PHOTO | COURTESY Health workers decry unemployment in counties.

 Ngalula explained that given the experiences they are forced to go through, such as delayed internships, delayed salaries, and a poor working environment for nurses and other health workers, this influences their desire to practice locally.

According to Dr Njoki Fernandes, a health consultant, poor human resource planning impacts a country's people's health. She stated that health is an essential feature that necessitates a strong human resource in treatment, prevention, and promotion.

She said they don't realize the impact of poor human resource planning on people's health in a country.

Concerning bribery, Libeya stated that it does not promise solid recruitment; rather, the recruitment is done on a contractual basis for a maximum of three years. 

"You are not employed on a PMP basis; you are asked for that money to be employed on a contract basis for three years."