By Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: Kenya Union of Clinical (KUC) officers in Busia County downed their tools from midnight of 14th of July 2023 to pressurize the county government to respond to their demands.
The union leadership stated that the 14-day strike notice they issued to the County government of Busia has expired, and they will walk off the job, which will paralyze medical services in all public hospitals across the county.
Kenya Union of Clinical Officers Secretary General Mr Phelomen Nakoche said they have been trying to contact the governor to address the health sector’s issues, but their efforts have been fruitless.
The group’s secretary general stated that they were not paid their back wages during the transition, and that the government has failed to address the issue.
“Nobody is telling us who ate the areas that were meant for salaries. The money was supposed to have been returned to the treasury but we have information it never found its way to the treasury. Salaries of the staff is a recurrent expenditure because it is budgeted every year it does not need the supplementary, if the money was put aside where is it?” he paused
The coordinator of the Kenya health professional society accused Governor Dr Paul Otuoma of failing to fulfill the promise he gave during the campaign to clear the arrears within 100 days in office.
“This salary is something which the governor stated that he will be able to clear within the first 100 days in his office, that he will be able to investigate and pay, but now it is almost a year, and there are no salary arrears. The efforts to try and reach the governor has not been fruitful,” he noted
Mr. Nakoche called on the government to promote and hire more health workers, stating that the county’s health facilities are understaffed.
Mr Nakoche called upon his members to down their tools unless the government addresses their grievances.
“Unless the government does something we are not going back to work. We are going on strike as all healthcare workers and there will be no services beginning at midnight tonight. We have also informed doctors to discharge all patients today in all public health facilities across the county,” he said
However, Mr Michael Aringo, the chairperson of Busia County Public Service Board urged the medical practitioners not to strike saying that the county is working on addressing their grievances.
“What they are saying is that there are a number of promotions that have been delayed and that they will like to have it effected, we are looking into this matter, but due to the transitions there have been certain delays but also there are some things that need to be addressed before we affect these promotions,” he noted
According to him, the promotions came at the end of the last regime and there were some anomalies that were detected and must be addressed before they give promotions to those who deserve it.
“There are some anomalies that were detected in those promotions, it appears that there is some evidence that there were some fraudulent activities with regard to the whole exercise of promotions.
He explained that while some people are indeed deserving of promotions, it appears that some have taken advantage of the transition period to add their names to the list. However, they are currently cleaning up the list and once they are finished, only those who truly deserve promotions will be given them.
Mr Aringo said the health department is working with the relevant authority in Kenya to provide the required medical supplies to public health facilities across the county.
