Homa Bay nurses threaten to down tools over unresolved grievances

Nurses in Homa Bay have threatened to go on strike if the county government does not address their grievances within seven days.

While issuing the seven-day strike notice yesterday, Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) officials said the county administration should move swiftly to address their concerns, among them, prompt salary payment, promotion, timely remittance of statutory deductions and hiring of more personnel.

County KNUN branch executive secretary Omondi Nyonje said the nurses have not received their July and August salaries.

“We want July and August salaries paid with immediate effect. Our members who did not get their June salaries should also be paid,” Nyonje said yesterday.

 Nyonje, who was accompanied by his deputy Emmardick Okeyo, chairman Amos Ogaga and Trustee Lillian Ogutu, said they will not relent until all the salary arrears are cleared.

They have since vowed to paralyse services in all public health facilities should the county fail to pay them by September 8.

Nyonje added that delayed salary has rendered them desperate. “Statutory deductions for financial year 2020-21 should be remitted to avoid putting us at logger heads with our respective banks,” he said.

They argued that some companies  have blacklisted a number of them for defaulting loan repayment.

“Banks no longer give us loans because of bad repayment record. Let all statutory deductions for the last financial year be paid or else we begin boycotting duties,” Nyonje said.

However, Health Chief officer Gerald Akeche attributed the late salary payment to delayed disbursement of funds from the National Treasury.

“We appeal to the nurses to bear with us because salary delays do not only affect them but other county staff as well,” Akeche said.