More than 1,200 nurses in Nakuru have vowed not to return to work a day after the Kenya National Union of Nurses called off its nationwide strike.
Nakuru branch secretary Cypriane Odera said the issues they had raised with the county needed to be addressed fully before they can return to work.
She spoke yesterday outside the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
Odera said their grievances were different from the other counties, hence they will continue with the strike. She said the county agreed to employ 774 healthcare workers, and none of them has been employed. “We held a meeting with the county, chaired by director of administration and planning Benedict Osore, who said 212 employees had been promoted,” Odera said.
However, she said the officers have not received promotion letters and the decision was meant to victimise the striking nurses. Another issue raised by the union official is inadequate human resource in hospitals.
A spot check revealed long queues and patients complained about not receiving any services from contracted nurses.
Journalists were barred from accessing the main wards, but in the Casualty department, many patients lay waiting. Contracted nurses who have been attending to patients amidst a heavy workload fled after they noticed the presence of journalists. County CEC for Health Mungai Kabii and chief officer Samuel Mwaura were unavailable for comment as calls and SMS texts went unanswered.
Odera said they started their strike on December 1 ahead of nurses in other counties because Nakuru county government had ignored their earlier return-to-work formula signed in July.