Medics in more than 20 counties have vowed to continue with a go-slow until they are paid their allowances.
The go-slow started last week.
The medics, who include doctors, nurses and clinical officers, are protesting against the non-payment of allowances they were awarded this year after a long strike.
In South Rift, doctors said they will join their counterparts in Nakuru and Kajiado counties in the go-slow over delayed payment of salary arrears.
South Rift Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union secretary Davji Atellah said they are demanding over three months of unpaid salary arrears.
Relatives of patients at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital were yesterday seen transferring their patients to private hospitals.
At the facility, the nurses said patients are not being given drugs, because there are no pharmacists. The facility receives patients from the neighbouring Baringo, Kericho, Bomet, Nyandarua and Samburu counties.
“I have a patient who has been here for the last one month. Since the go-slow started, we have been forced to look for other hospitals, because we do not want to gamble with my brother’s life,” John Nyagemi said.
Atellah said the go-slow will extend to Laikipia county before the end of this week, while doctors from Bomet and Narok will join their counterparts if their demands will not have been addressed.
The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers also said their members in counties have not been paid.
Union deputy secretary general Austin Oduor said the counties include Kisii, Meru, Kitui, Laikipia, Migori, Kilifi and Kisumu. “The worst hit is Homa Bay, where despite an assurance from Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata, no arrears have been paid and they have not remitted the NHIF and the NSSF deductions,” Oduor said.
In Nyeri, the Kenya National Union of Nurses branch secretary Beatrice Nduati said the county government “has been dilly-dallying in hiring more nurses, despite numerous appeals”.
The nurses vowed not to resume work until the government employs more nurses and promotes others.
All nurses were awarded up to Sh20,000 nursing allowance every month from December last year.
Thousands of other hospital workers in 15 cadres received health service allowances of between Sh7,500 and Sh20,000. Clinical officers received a special call allowance of Sh10,000. In a letter, Treasury PS Kamau Thugge confirmed they would allocate Sh3.09 billion to pay the allowances from January to June.
But counties last week said the national government has not remitted the money and they do not have any cash to pay the medics.