Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko on Tuesday assured striking county government workers that they will receive their payments by end of the month.
County workers had camped outside City Hall demanding to be addressed by the governor over the implementation of a 15% pay rise that was part of the 2017 Collective Bargain Agreement.
Addressing the protesting workers, Sonko assured them that the money is available and they will all get their agreed pay.
“Ni hiyo kipengele kidogo tu, SRC na Treasury tukae nao watusaidie mpate pesa zenu,” he said. (It’s just a small clause that together with the SRC and Treasury, need to meet and they will help us get your money.)
Sonko said he backed the workers saying the strike is within their right.
The 13,000 workers want the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to give the County Government of Nairobi a go ahead to implement the CBA as ruled by Industrial Court Judge Nelson Abwodha November last year.
The workers claim that the CBA was not honored in their last pay and question why the SRC agreed to the CBA then failed to honour the court ruling.
Sonko was speaking after addressing county MCAs during a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting at a Nairobi Hotel where he also assured of transparency.
Mr. Sonko assured members of the Nairobi City County Assembly that no public funds will be diverted or embezzled under his watch.
“I want to assure the assembly that all our development plans will be fully implemented and no development funds will be diverted by my officers or embezzled,” said Sonko.
The Governor however appealed to the MCAs not to frustrate development projects by his administration in their respective wards.