- A week ago, the Kenya National Union of Nurses secretary general Seth Panyaco asked the government to give nurses a special insurance cover.
- Oparanya said recruitment of 5, 500 additional medical staff by County Public Service Boards was ongoing.
Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya has asked health union officials not to put pressure on county governments over their welfare during the war on coronavirus.
Oparanya said all counties had directed their resources to the fight against Covid-19 and medics should be considerate about the welfare of others.
“Let us sacrifice all that we have and the medics' issues will be addressed after the country overcomes the pandemic," he said.
A week ago, the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) secretary general Seth Panyako asked the government to give nurses Sh10 million special insurance cover in the war against Covid-19.
Panyako said medical staff were the frontline soldiers in the battle with coronavirus but had no cover to take care of their families in the event they died.
He also demanded that nurses be given a Sh20, 000 risk allowance
Oparanya said the CoG had intervened to have Vihiga county staff including medics paid their delayed February and March salaries.
Medical staff in Vihiga had threatened to go on strike unless Governor Wilber Ottichilo paid them their dues.
But on Friday, Oparanya said that such demands and threats of industrial action by unions would frustrate efforts by the government to deal with the spread of the current pandemic.
The Kakamega governor said recruitment of 5, 500 additional medical staff by County Public Service Boards (PSB) to boost the war against Covid-19 was ongoing.
He said counties that did not have PSBs had been directed to use boards of neighbouring counties or the national government’s Public Service Commission to hire.
Oparanya asked counties to fast track the exercise, saying the health sector was facing a shortage of staff to deal with the scourge.
He announced that county governments had resolved to begin paying special allowances to medical staff to motivate them in the war against the pandemic.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) however asked county governments to ensure strict adherence to the law in awarding such allowances, warning they may not be sustainable.
Edited by Henry Makori