All did not end up well for activist Seth as the Nurses union leader Seth Panyako was on today arrested for inciting nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital to participate in a protest.
“He is an outsider, hence, cannot come here to cause disruption at the hospital when nurses are at work,” security head Mukhwana said.
The nurses at the referral hospital said the go-slow followed the “management’s infringement of their right to join a union.”
The health workers further raised security concerns citing an assault on a nurse by a bereaved mother on October 14.
“Our colleague was hurt but the management has not taken any action or given any information regarding the patient who assaulted the nurse,” one of them said.
They claimed the assaulted nurse has been asked to pay for her treatment “she was attacked in the line of duty.”
The Kenya National Nurses Union (KNUN) secretary general was taken by police following after report by the KNH security chief.
Several protesting nurses were also arrested and held in custody at the KNH police post.
KNH security boss Manase Mukhwana said they called the police since “Panyako has no permit to incite nurses to strike.”
The doctors and nurses at the referral hospital had downed their tools to protest what they termed as their insecurity.
Accused of instigating the protests that paralysed services at the health facility Panyako was arrested alongside the other officials.
Two weeks ago, a nurse at the facility was allegedly attacked by a mother of a 17-year-old boy who died at the hospital.
KNUN union officials led demonstrations at the facility blaming security guards for the incident.
“Nurses have already withdrawn their services on grounds of security challenges at the hospital,” said Panyako.
The officials have vowed to continue with the demonstrations until they are assured of security at the facility.
Do you think the nurses have the right to protest over the attack of one of their own or should the safety of patients be their only priority?