Striking doctors have condemned Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong’o for stopping their pay until they report to work.
Nyong’o announced the government will not pay salaries of the striking health workers.
He said the decision was made after a cabinet meeting resolved there will be no salaries for work not done, in accordance with the Labour Relations Act.
“The county secretary and public service board have already been informed to take the necessary action,”Nyong'o said.
He said the county will employ doctors on short-term contracts to ensure provision of essential services.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union Nyanza b Onyango Ndonga said no amount of threats would stop the strike.
Ndonga in an interview said the right to strike is recognised by the International Labour Organisation and the Constitution.
"We want to thank Kenyans who despite the very difficult time have supported us. We want to tell the government that time has come when the right thing must be done," he said.
"When we append signatures to agreements we must follow through and make sure they are honoured and this includes court orders".
Governor Nyong’o said a review of the grievances of the KMPDU indicated the county had complied with most of the issues contained in the 2017 CBA.
This includes the hiring of doctors, payment of salaries on time, provision of comprehensive medical cover, access to mortgage and loans, the release of doctors for further studies and promotions.
“Only senior consultants await interviews and finalisation of the process as per the requirements,” Nyong’o said.
“However, despite all these efforts, a section of our health practitioners chose to walk out of their workstations, which is regrettable. Despite an active engagement over the same, these few practitioners have remained resolute.”
In Kiambu, the government has directed all health workers on strike to immediately resume their duties as ordered by the court or lose their jobs.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi in a Friday press briefing said that the salaries of striking workers will be halted until they resume their duties.
Disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against individual doctors, consultants, specialists, clinical officers and laboratory technologists who defy the directive.
"Any health worker absent from duty without lawful cause will not have their salaries processed or paid by the county government,” Wamatangi said.
He added: “We call upon all health workers currently on strike to immediately report back to duty in compliance with the court orders, failure of which the county will have no option but to implement disciplinary procedures provided under employment and labour laws and regulations.”
The governor announced that the government will immediately cease third-party deductions from staff salaries for remittances related to membership subscriptions for the trade unions.
The affected organisations include the KMPDU, the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers and the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers.
He instructed the County Public Service Board to advertise vacancies for positions such as medical officers, specialists/consultants, as well as other health services personnel, including clinical officers and laboratory technologists who fail to report back to work.
“If you are there at home and interested in applying for a job in any field in the medical profession please do apply once the advertisements have been placed. I have instructed the county PSB to take note of the fields that need personnel and advertise immediately for the positions,” he said.
He stated that health workers in Kiambu had no justification for participating in the industrial action since his administration had already addressed all their concerns.
“My government has continually promoted doctors as and when their promotions fall due and in line with the laid down regulations, procedures and available financial resources. Under my tenure in office we have promoted 770 healthcare workers. This includes 102 doctors and 23 specialists, 391 nurses, 64 public health officers 66 support staff and 22 nutritionists, 49 clinical officers and 38 medical and laboratory workers and 15 pharmaceutical technologists all promoted in March 2023,” he said.
He the government has granted postgraduate study leave and released medical officers for training in various specialty areas, saying that currently 39 medical officers undertaking master’s degrees in various universities locally and abroad draw a salary from the government.
“Arising from prudent cash flow management, there has been no salary delays and remittance of statutory deduction has been done promptly. We have ensured that all staff salaries, statutory deductions are done on time,” Wamatangi said.
Meanwhile, Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki has told striking health workers to go back to work immediate or they will risk losing their jobs.
Speaking during a press briefing in Chuka town on Friday, Njuki said the doctors were in contempt of court orders issued on April3 ordering them to end the strike.
The Council of Governors health committee chairperson said the demands by the striking health workers do not concern the devolved governments.
"We had already started disciplinary action based on court orders but we want to give an opportunity to all doctors in Tharaka Nithi county to right their wrongs. By April 15 at exactly 8am on Monday, any doctor who will not be on duty can consider themselves to be already facing disciplinary action that will lead to termination of their working contract with us," Njuki said.
The governor said they had recalled all medics on leave back to work by Monday.
"If you are a doctor, clinical officer, nurse, lab technician or pharmacist on leave in Tharaka Nithi county, that leave has been suspended and you have been recalled back to duty because duty needs you. To those who will not have reported to work by Monday, we will take the necessary disciplinary action for failing to report back to your health facility," Njuki said.
Njuki warned clinical officers and laboratory technicians from joining doctors on the strike, stating that the county had received orders to suspend their strike and required them to report to their work stations immediately.
The County Government of Tharaka Nithi went to court and on April 10, and received a court order that suspended the strike by clinicians.
The matter is before Justice Onesmus Makau at the Employment and Labor Relations Court in Meru.
