Nurses have been on strike for one week now with the reasons behind the strike being an increase in allowances allocated that has not been implemented. According to a statement released by Seth Panyako, the General Secretary at the Union, nurses expected an increment of KShs. 3,000 by the ending on July last year followed by an annual increase of KShs. 3, 500 in the two subsequent years, as per the agreement.
According to this agreement, nurses were to receive a salary increment of KShs. 3,000 in 2018 and an additional KShs. 3,500 in 2019 and 2020. Similarly, KNUN officials and their members demand KShs. 5,000 annual salary increment as uniform allowances, effective July 2018.
The strike has brought large effects some being people losing their lives for lacking nurses to attend to them. Patients admitted in hospitals health deteriorating because there are no nurses to attend to them. People are forced to use the private health facilities and those who cant afford stay at hoe as their state of health worsen.
Street children seem not to be happy with the ongoing strike after they prevented nurses in Kisii town from holding their demonstrations today. More than twenty street children, most armed with weapons such as wooden clubs and stones, obstructed the striking nurses at the Kisii-Kisumu Road.
The nurses were forced to seek security from the police officers at the Kisii Police Station. The police however refused to help the medical attendants after they informed them they did not have adequate officers at the station. The homeless children who did not give a reason for their actions, further warned the attendants to keep away from the town.
This comes after the nurses through Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary-General Seth Panyako, affirmed that they would continue with the strike. The caregivers had on Saturday threatened to call for a nationwide strike to counter the oppression from the national and county governments.