Elgeyo Marakwet County Executive Committee (CEC) Member in charge of health, Thomas Ruto has blamed the County Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary Benson Biwott for not notifying them over the ongoing strike.
The operations stalled today at Iten county referral hospital as nurse strike over their allowance, promotions and their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Speaking to Journalists in his office based in Iten Town, Ruto said that he was shocked to hear the union declaring a strike while he was watching television at his home.
Ruto says that the letter addressed to his office by the union is vague and it is not conveying the message from honest hearts.
The nurses are demanding the county government to pay them their medical allowance as agreed in the return to work covenant signed late last year which they say that they were paid each amount Sh20, 000 once and yet it was supposed to continue on monthly basis.
The CEC health refuted the claims adding that the county has been paying the nurses their health service allowance.
He has called upon the striking nurses, to be honest enough.
He said that the first payment indicated Nursing Service Allowance (NSA) in the pay slips but was later changed to Health Service Allowance (HSA) to facilitate other health cadres who were supposed to get the allowance.
KNUN county secretary also emphasised on the slow paced employment of nurses by the county government to cut the looming nurse shortage of 257 nurses across the vast county.
“Things like promotions that are supposed to be done by the employer automatically have been delayed for a long time. We have an acute shortage of nurses in this county and we require around 257 nurses. The strike that we will go as Elgeyo Marakwet nurses will be inclusive of our cries,” Biwott emphasized.
Meanwhile, Ruto has called upon the nurses to hold on the claims as the county government is keen to sort out the mess once and for all.
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