By The Weekly Vision Reporter
The Nairobi County Government has finally settled September salaries for its employees, ending weeks of industrial unrest that had threatened service delivery in health facilities. An official of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Nairobi branch confirmed that nurses had resumed duty after City Hall cleared the outstanding September pay, having earlier remitted third-party deductions, including contributions to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
“We have resumed work. The county government paid salaries for last month, while third-party contributions were remitted in August. Those were the key issues in contention. We are now only remaining with October,” KNUN Nairobi branch deputy secretary George Ndekeo told The Weekly Vision by phone.
Nurses and laboratory technologists had downed their tools in August, citing salary delays and the non-remittance of statutory deductions, which they said had made their lives unbearable as they could not access medical care.
They were later joined by officials and members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), who staged protests in Nairobi streets before marching to City Hall. However, Governor Johnson Sakaja was away attending a function and did not address them.
Apart from delayed salaries, KMPDU has also raised concerns about stalled promotions, unpaid gratuities, and gaps in medical cover for county health workers.
The County Government has attributed the delayed payments to the Controller of Budget’s slow release of its equitable share of national revenue. Acting County Secretary Godfrey Akumali said the situation had constrained operations across departments.
The resumption of duty by county nurses is expected to ease pressure on Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), which has been grappling with a surge in patients referred from Nairobi and Kiambu health facilities amid ongoing strikes.
“This has led to a sharp rise in the number of very sick patients arriving at the hospital, many in critical condition. The Maternity Department has been hardest hit, with the Labour Ward and Newborn Unit now handling more than twice their normal capacity,” said KNH Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Richard Lesiyampe on 9 October.
“Sadly, some mothers and babies are arriving too late, and a few have had poor health outcomes despite the best efforts of our dedicated medical teams. The increased demand for care has also placed immense pressure on essential services such as operating theatres, the blood bank, and diagnostic units. Our staff are working tirelessly around the clock, but resources are stretched to the limit,” he added.
