Clinical officers in the country have issued a fresh ultimatum to county governments stating that failure to comply with the terms would mean a return to industrial action.

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Secretary General George Gibore on Friday, September 20, 2024, lamented that the Council of Governors (CoG) had backtracked on some of the terms of the return to work agreement deposited in the courts.

“Failure to heed to our demands, the union shall have no option but resort back to strike action since all other avenues have already been exhausted,” Gibore stated in a statement.

In the statement, he also noted that the county governments had reneged on the agreement to promote, re-designate, and provide medical cover and desist from reprimanding clinical officers who had been involved in the strikes.

Similarly, the clinicians have demanded that the county governments harmonise the salaries of all contractual and casual workers with those on permanent and pensionable terms. They have also called for the immediate release of all withheld salaries of workers who had participated in the 99-day strike in the year.

Counties renege on terms

According to KUCO, only Kisumu, Busia, Kajiado, Nyeri and Muranga counties had complied with the agreements in terms of promotions.

On redesignation of clinical officers, only Kisumu, Nyeri and Nandi had complied while the counties that had provided comprehensive medical cover to their workers were Isiolo, Laikipia, Embu, Tana River and Kericho.

The union also noted that Kisumu, Taita Taveta, Lamu, Busia and Kilifi counties had withheld the salaries of the clinicians from the 2021 strike while Bomet, Isiolo, Kisii, Marsabit, Trans-Nzoia, Mombasa, Embu and Bungoma had withheld pay for the 2024 industrial action.

The union also accused Kisumu, Vihiga, Kisii Bungoma and Mombasa counties of victimizing the union officials and representatives in their respective regions.

In terms of harmonising the salaries of the casual and contractual workers with the rest of their counterparts, the countries that failed to carry out this exercise were: Garissa, Isiolo, Kwale, Nandi, Siaya, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Kajiado, Marsabit, Kiambu, Nakuru, Taita Taveta, Trans Nzoia, Makueni, Kitui, Mombasa, Laikipia, Vihiga, Kilifi, Embu, Bungoma, Elgeyo Marakwet, Meru, Kiambu, Kericho and Narok.

The notice comes just two months after KUCO called off a 99-day strike on July 8, 2024, following a protracted industrial action which began on April 1, 2024.

The union said they had come to an agreement with the governors, ending the labour dispute.