Nurses Union secretary general Seth Panyako (pictured) has dismissed claims by a group of nurses opposed to his leadership that he is in office illegally.
Speaking in his office on Thursday, Panyako said the group’s claims are borne out of ignorance of the union constitution and Labour Relations Act since the current leadership was elected unopposed.
“I gave a 21-day election notice on the 5th of January this year, but no one applied to vie for any position, so we were elected unopposed. How then do they claim we are in office illegally? They are stupid,” he said.
A group of nurses calling themselves the Kenya National Union of Nurses Rescue Team had earlier in the day told a press conference that Panyako and his team are in office illegally since no elections have ever been held since the union was formed in 2011.
Led by Jeremiah Maina, the group accused Panyako of using the union for personal gain, including calling for stage-managed nurses’ strikes.
“Nurses have been going on strike on many occasions these past years, but after two or three weeks they are told to go back to work yet no CBA has been honoured,” he said.
They accused the secretary general of having presented a different list of union leaders for approval by the Registrar of Trade Unions instead of the appointed interim union leaders, a claim Panyako dismissed as baseless.
“What they are doing amounts to subjudice because they are challenging this leadership in court,” he said.
A court ruling on a case challenging the current union leadership is due to be delivered on June 24.