The Kenya National Union Of Nurses (KNUN) leader Seth Panyako was on Monday arrested for inciting nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) to participate in a protest.
The KNUN secretary general who also unsuccessfully contested for Kakamega County senatorial seat was taken by police after a report from the KNH security chief reached them.
A section of nurses at KNH had already staged protests outside the hospital.
A good number of nurses on protest were also arrested and held in custody at the KNH police post.
A report indicated that the KNUN Secretary general had no any permit to incite nurses.
KNH security boss Manase Mukhwana said they called the police since “Panyako has no permit to incite nurses to strike.”
“He is an outsider, hence, cannot come here to cause disruption at the hospital when nurses are at work,” 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 one of the bereaved mothers 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.”
There has been other union leaders who have been also threatening to strike after talks with their relevant authorities failed.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) secretary general Willson Sossion had earlier threatened to take an action after call for talks with its employer failed.
KNUT had given teachers’ employer a seven-day ultimatum to have talks.
KNUT said that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has not called its representatives back for talks despite a seven-day ultimatum that expired on Thursday last week at midnight.
TSC postponed scheduled talks with the union to address among other issues the contentious transfer of teachers.
Sossion observed that the postponement of the meeting showed disinterest on the part of Commission coupled with mischief and distrust.