Kakamega nurses yesterday pledged to go back to work by Monday after reaching a return-to-work agreement with the county government.
The 1,350 nurses had on Monday joined the strike going on in 19 other counties, forcing level four hospitals to send patients home.
Some facilities, such as Iguhu Hospital in Ikolomani subcounty, had closed for lack of caregivers.
The county government promised to pay the nurses’ allowances in full. This came a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta said in Kisii that the government does not have money to increase public servants’ salaries.
The medics are pushing for the full implementation of a return-to-work formula signed in November 2017 between the national and county governments and the Kenya National Union of Nurses.
The agreement awarded nurses uniform and service allowances.
KNUN Kakamega secretary Renson Bulunya said they called off the strike to give room to ongoing negotiations between the union and county government.
“We have been in consultation with the county government and we have agreed that they will fully implement what will be agreed upon by the union and a conciliator who was appointed by the Labour ministry,” he said.
“We decided not to expose innocent patients to untold suffering because of the differences between the union and the employer.”
The county government had remained mum on the strike and senior officials have avoided commenting on it.
But Health executive Rachel Okumu, chief officer Beatrice Etemesi and county secretary Jacinta Adhiambo attended yesterday’s briefing.