Homa Bay government has promoted some 336 medics drawn from various cadres in the county.
The medics through their unions have been engaging in on and off strikes to pile pressure on their demands for promotions and salary increases to be met.
They have participated in strikes on an annual basis.
Some of them had stagnated in the same job groups for 19 years without being promoted.
On Thursday, the county secretary Bernard Muok, the county Public Service Board Chairman Isaiah Okoto and Health chief officer Kevin Osuri together union officials agreed to promote the health workers.
Muok who is the head of public service said they started with 336 people and plan to promote others.
He said the promotion has been a thorny issue among health workers as some had stayed in the same job groups for 19 years.
“The 336 workers who have been promoted are drawn from all carders in the health sector. Subsequent promotions will be done to other qualified health workers,” Muok said.
Speaking to journalists after their meeting at health department offices, Muok said the public service board approved a total of 900 people as qualified health workers to be promoted.
The health workers had applied for promotion.
Muok argued that due to financial constraints, the county government was able to promote only 336 health workers.
He said the promotion will be effected in the health workers’ salaries for this month.
“Limitation of resources was our serious challenge but the other health workers. Modalities have been put in place to ensure we promote the remaining lot in the next financial year,” he added.
Okoto said the workers were promoted transparently based on how one had stagnated in their job group.
He added that there was no form of discrimination or corruption in the promotion process.
“What we were considering most in the promotion is the duration these health workers had stagnated in their job groups,” Okoto said.
He said they will ensure there is no backlog of promotions in future.
Health workers’ union leaders expressed optimism that the initiative will enable Homa Bay residents to get services uninterruptedly.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Liaison Officer in the county Rodgers Ochieng Otana said the promotion had given them morale in discharging their duties.
“The greatest beneficiaries of this initiative are the citizens of this county because they will get health services uninterruptedly,” Otana said.
The Secretary of the Kenya Union of Nurses in the county Omondi Nyonje told the county not to forget and fast-track promoting the remaining health workers who applied for the promotion.
“The promotion is unprecedented and it is a great achievement in this government. It has given health workers morale for discharging their duties,” Nyonje said.
