Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has reinstated 72 suspended health workers into the payroll and renewed contracts for 388 others.

The governor also agreed to pay their salary arrears dating back to 2019 when they were suspended following a strike by medical workers.

In a meeting between the medics and the governor held on Wednesday, July 6 at the governor’s official residence in Kagio, Waiguru revealed she had also renewed contracts for 252 nurses, 73 clinical officers, 18 medical officers, 30 medical lab technologists, four dental officers, four radiographers, two pharmacists, and five orthopedic trauma technologists.

The contracts will run for a period of three years.

The governor further said that the 72 practitioners have been paid their May and June salaries and will get their arrears in phases as per the binding agreement between the county government and the medics.

She said that a total budget of Ksh280 million has been set aside to take care of the health workers’ pay, noting that 60 per cent of the county’s budget goes to the health sector to cater for both development and recurrent needs of the sector.

Waiguru promises to hire medics on permanent and pensionable terms

Waiguru also promised to absorb the medics into permanent and pensionable terms in her next term as governor should she win next month’s poll.

“Our aim is to make Kirinyaga a world-class model in the provision of health services,” she told the medics.

The reinstated medics were full of joy as they confirmed having received their May and June salaries in arrears.

They pledged to continue rendering high-quality services to the people of Kirinyaga and thanked the governor for reinstating them into the payroll.