Frequent health workers’ strike in Mombasa a sign of collapse of governance – lobby groups

The frequent doctors’ strikes in Mombasa are a sign of the collapse of governance in the county, human rights lobby groups at the Coast have said.

The Coast Civil Society Networks, made up of about 16 rights organisations, on Sunday said a permanent solution must be found.

“Going to court to stop the strikes is not the solution,” said the network chair Zedekiah Adika on phone.

The Mombasa county government on Wednesday obtained a court order to halt the latest health workers strike that had started on Monday.

The administration said they are doing all they can to address the issues affecting not only the health workers but also other workers.

"They (health workers) just need to be a little bit more patient like the other workers," the county administration said on Thursday last week.

The strike disrupted services in all public hospitals in the county, including at the main Coast General teaching and referral hospital that serves the whole region.

Patients in the ICU were being taken care of by a handful of doctors and nurses who are employed on contract.

The county’s health workers are demanding their February dues and remittance of statutory deductions for January and February.

Last week, the county government paid January salaries and three-month statutory deductions from October to December last year.

This came after several strikes.

At the moment, the workers have vowed not to return to work until the matter is resolved.

This comes as KMPDU Mombasa branch secretary Nassir Shaban said they will go to court to challenge the order.

“This will only serve to continue a vicious cycle of push and pull while patients suffer in public hospitals and at home,” said Adika.

He said the county cannot pay health workers continuously for a year because of fundamental problems.

Adika noted the institutions in the county seem to have collapsed because it is not only in Mombasa that funds are not being remitted from the national government.

“But why is it that we don’t hear of strikes in other counties as frequently as we do in Mombasa?” Adika asked.

He said that the county assembly has been silent on the matter, yet they also suffer the same fate.

“They have left Mombasa people on their own,” he said.

Workers from the county government have pleaded with the medics to return to work, saying they should give the Hassan Joho-led administration time to resolve the stalemate.

“We as Kenya County Government Workers Union call upon health workers to be patient because the county government is in the process of paying the February salaries,” union chairperson Abdulrahman Omar said.

But Adika said that the disruption of public health services is to the benefit of the private sector.

“They are killing the public service for the good of private sector which looks more constant. In the long run, the person who suffers most is the poor person,” said Adika, who is also the programmes officer at Kituo Cha Sheria.

The county workers union’s secretary Haji Kibwana said they have received assurances that the February salaries and the two months statutory deduction will be paid soon.

“We are in communication with the county officials to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement. In case we do not come to an agreement, we will then have grounds to issue a strike notice,” he said.

However, Adika, who also had a word for the striking health workers, said the push and pull should not be a ping pong game as lives are at stake.

He said that some of the health workers are forgetting their oath of service.

“They should not strike today, tomorrow and the day after. Striking should be the last option after exhausting all other avenues,” said Adika.

He noted that the delayed payments are not to the health workers only but all county government workers.

“But the health workers are the only ones who are striking. They should realise that theirs is the most sensitive services that they provide,” the Kituo Cha Sheria advocate said.

He said that majority of the diseases affect the poor who cannot afford the services in the private sector. 

“But that does not still take away the blame from the county. They should take responsibility and give doctors priority so that they do not feel neglected,” he said.

Adika added that the tag of war between the health workers might also lead to brain drain.

The private sector poaches the best health workers from the public sector.

“Governor  Joho, even though his term is ending, should focus on the issues of Mombasa and  not just  campaign for Raila Odinga at the expense of his people,” said Adika.

Joho has become a main stay in the Azimio la Umoja rallies across the country.

After issuing the temporary injunction order, Labour court judge Agnes Kitiku said the matter will be heard on March 23.

Adika said such weighty matters need the input of all sectoral leaders including religious leaders, LSK, business leaders, the political class, among others, who he accused of being too silent.

“All these sectors are affected by the health workers’ strike,” said Adika.

(Edited by Francis Wadegu)