The erratic and unorthodox leadership style of Governor Mike Sonko at City Hall once again reared its head and this time it has caught with nurses from Nairobi County.
Sonko has dared nurses in Nairobi County to go on strike but has in turn promised them “serious war”
Sonko has warned that the county will sack nurses who will participate in the planned December 10 strike. This is after the nurses’ union issued a 21-day strike notice Yesterday (Monday) citing non-payment of service and uniform allowances.
Clinical Officers, on the other hand, are protesting against NHIF policies, which they say limit their scope of service provision.
Sonko has termed the planned Nurses Strike as illegal. Sonko has pointed out that the government has already complied with the signed CBA’.
“We have a good working relationship with them and I’m not intimidating them, but if they strike, I will sack them. I do not want to go through that route,” he said.
The governor said he is in the process of hiring new nurses and whoever participates in the planned boycott will go home.
“We have the capacity of hiring private nurses, but with the working relationship we have, I’ sure they will not engage in the strike.” added the governor.
Sonko said nurses “will be charged with murder” if any patient dies in the wake of the strike. He said the nurses’ increment will be in this month’s salary.
“The chief officer has drafted a letter to the union that we are complying with and if they participate (in the strike), it will be illegal,” Sonko said.
Kenya Union of Nurses secretary general Seth Panyako said the strike will be to push for implementation of a return-to-work formula signed in November last year.
In the return-to-work formula signed on November 2, 2017, the national and county governments agreed to increase the nurses’ service allowance by Sh10,000 in three phases.
They were to get an increase of Sh3,000 in the 2018-19 financial year, Sh3,500 in the 2019-20 financial year and Sh3,500 in 2020-21.
The Nurses’ union has also accused various county governments of colluding with former officials to defraud the union using various fraudulent accounts.
Panyako claimed that some accounts were introduced in IFMIS, hence, crippling the union financially. He demanded a freeze of all accounts and assets of the said accounts.
The official said the DCI has concluded their investigation and have found the accused guilty and have forwarded the file to the DPP.
The nurses further said they would not support calls for a referendum if the Health Service Commission will not be included as one of the questions.
The Planned Nurses Strike will surely affect the health sector a great deal and unless something is urgently done to reverse the situation, Kenyans are headed for tougher times ahead.
Do you support Mike Sonko’s tough stand on the planned Nurses Strike?