Taita Taveta medics threaten strike over salary delay

Tens of health workers in Taita Taveta county will on Tuesday withdraw services in all public health facilities in protest over delayed salaries.

The workers, in a notice, said they had not received January and February salaries despite a previous agreement with the county government.

“Workers will converge at Moi Stadium in Voi for a peaceful demonstration. They shall then march to the County Public Service Board offices to present a memorandum and disperse from there,” a notice to Voi OCS reads.

The demonstration will involve health workers drawn from five unions.

They are Kenya National Union of Nurses, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union and Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists.

Others are Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers and Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers.

The workers said the delayed salaries had caused delay in remittance of their third party deductions that include loans, NHIF, NSSF among others.

“Contrary to the previous agreement in January, our salaries have not been paid and members do not have active medical NHIF comprehensive cover. This goes against the constitution and the Employment and Labour Relations Act,” read a notice sent to the County Secretary, County Public Service Board and health department chief officer.

The strike is set to affect service delivery at the busy Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi, which is a key health facility in the region.

The health department has however kept mum on the looming health crisis. Efforts to reach the county executive for Health Services John Mwakima were futile.

The health workers have in the last two years been at loggerheads with their employer over salary delay prompting a series of strikes.

Last year, Governor Granton Samboja’s administration laid off some 409 health workers for participating in the national nurses’ strike.

The nurses and clinical officers were fired for absconding their duties but were later reinstated after successfully appealing the decision to the County Public Service Board.

The devolved unit however claimed late disbursement of funds to counties posed a big challenge to implementation of development projects and payment of staff salaries.

In a consultative engagement with workers’ union leaders early this year, County Secretary Liverson Mghendi said the cash crunch had strained  operations and services offered by different county departments.

“These delays have subsequently jeopardised efforts by counties to achieve the Universal Health Coverage initiative. Erratic disbursement of funds from National Treasury is a big challenge to devolution,” Mghendi said.

He said the county government will continue working towards attaining better staff welfare despite numerous challenges facing devolved units countrywide.

-Edited by SKanyara