• Panyako said county workers have not been paid for the last three months yet the lawmakers are busy in the Senate speaking 'big English'.
• He accused the Senate and the national government of letting down Kenyans, saying Kenyans will not eat 'standing orders'.
Healthcare unions want the National Treasury to release funds for continuity of services in counties even as the Senate continues to deliberate on revenue sharing.
Healthcare unions want the National Treasury to release funds for continuity of services in counties even as the Senate continues to deliberate on revenue sharing.
In a joint statement on Thursday, doctors, nurses, clinicians, dietitians and officials from other unions have called on the Council of Governors to use the provisions of the law to access funds to pay workers.
"It is very clear that interest of politicians in this country is not about serving Kenyans but how much they can make from everything," Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary-General Seth Panyako said.
He said county workers have not been paid for the last three months yet the lawmakers are busy in the Senate speaking 'big English'.
Panyako said health is a shared function and in case of a crisis the parent ministry should step in.
He accused the Senate and the national government of letting down Kenyans, saying Kenyans will not eat 'standing orders'.
Governors made real their threat to shut down operations in counties starting Thursday over revenue sharing stand-off in the Senate.
This even as the Council of Governors sued the Senate seeking the immediate release of 50 per cent of Sh4.1 billion to Laikipia county and all other devolved units.
In the suit papers filed under a certificate of urgency, the CoG and Laikipia county have sued the Attorney-General, the Speaker of the Senate, the Senate, the Controller of Budget, the Treasury and National Treasury Cabinet Secretary.
The Senate has been accused of failing in its constitutional duty, resulting in county operations grinding to a halt.
CoG chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said in a statement on Wednesday the shutdown had been occasioned by lack of resources after senators failed to agree on the revenue sharing formula.
He said county health facilities will not permit new in-patient admissions and will only provide minimal outpatient services.
All non-essential services have been suspended and county employees advised to proceed on leave for two weeks.
“In the meantime, the council will continue to push for speedy release of county funds,” the Kakamega governor maintained.
He said devolved units are suffering and the only way to end their pain is for the National Treasury to release the funds.