Medics reject transfer of Sh38 billion pay to counties

By ALLY JAMAH

Kenya: Doctors, nurses and clinical officers have opposed a move by the Government to transfer their Sh38 billion salaries and allowances to counties by July 1.

Speaking Wednesday in Nairobi, officials of unions representing the three categories of health professionals termed the move as ‘rushed’.

They warned this would result to chaos, saying county governments were not ready for the task.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary General Dr Sultani Matendechere said the move should be reversed immediately, insisting they were “not taking the matter lightly”.

He warned that if the plan sailed through “there will be trouble ahead in the health sector”.

“We support devolution of the health sector, but we will not accept machinations to hurriedly devolve our salaries without proper planning or the involvement of healthcare stakeholders,” he said.   He argued that counties had not formed their public service boards and somebody wanted to ‘throw’ health workers to them to be paid by non-functional offices.

Kenya National Union of Nurses secretary general Seth Panyako said nurses would not accept their salaries to be devolved to counties, saying they may have difficulties accessing their hard-earned cash. He added the counties were not fully prepared for the function.

“We don’t want to be told that ‘you don’t have salaries today’ because the money has been taken to another project within the county.

This will be chaotic. We will resist that move until the county structures are in place,” he said.

KMPPDU chairperson Dr Victor Ng’ani said the transfer of the Sh38 billion for their salaries was a mischievous move to give a misleading impression that county governments have been allocated more money.