Chaos as angry protesters join nurses in storming Nyeri governor's office

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Striking health workers in Nyeri County got a rare show of unity when the public joined them in storming Governor Nderitu Gachagua's office.

The angry demonstrators lit a bonfire outside Mr Gachagua's office as they protested failure by the county government to solve the three-week strike.

Police had to be called in to calm the situation after some of the demonstrators tried to gain entry into the guarded office by breaking the gate.

It took the intervention of Nyeri OCS Raphael Gaa to cool them down, after he allowed some of the demonstrators, led by a local politician Wambugu Nyamu, into the governor's office.

Gachagua was, however, not in the office but the demonstrators managed to hand over a petition outlining their grievances to Health Executive Charles Githinji and his Education counterpart Elijah Nguyo.

Gachagua had on Wednesday evening addressed a press conference where he threatened to sack the striking workers.

Thursday, the Nyeri County Public Service Board (NCPSB) failed to appear before the conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour to resolve the impasse between the county and the workers.

NCPSB Acting Secretary Edward Irungu could not be reached for comment.

But reacting to Gachagua's resolution to dismiss the nurses, the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) Secretary General Seth Panyako downplayed the move, saying it was misinformed.

"The threat is just hot air and we dare him to sack the nurses if they have employed them. Don't they know that the workers were only seconded to them by the national government? They should read the law between the lines," stated Mr Panyako at a Nyeri hotel.

Panyako, flanked by the local Knun officials, doled out what he described as free advice to the county administration in regard to the announcement that the striking nurses occupying Government houses immediately vacate.

He reiterated that only the Ministry of Housing had the prerogative of ejecting the nurses from their residential places because it owned the houses.

Panyako further accused the governor of being out of touch with the plight of nurses whom he said earned peanuts.

Earlier, the protesting group had converged at Whispers Park in the Central Business District, where they launched a drive to collect signatures to have the health services returned to the national government.

Carrying placards and chanting slogans, they moved from the lower bus park, through the main streets up to the upper stage where they addressed people as they collected signatures from those in support of the strike.

Through a citizen initiative dubbed "Operation Rudisha Health Services to the National Government" they accused the national government of failing to resolve the health crisis, after more than 500 nurses went on strike.

Mr Nyamu said the county government was deliberately frustrating the nurses, adding that people were dying and thousands suffering as a result.

"The national government should start the process of taking over all the Level Four and Five hospitals," he said.