Kenya is headed for yet another week of paralysis in public health facilities across various counties with nurses under the Ministry of Health also expected to down their tools.
According to the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), from Monday, February 11 nurses at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, National Spiral Injury Referral Hospital, Port Health and Blood Transfusion Centre will join in on the strike.
Nurses are also set to down their tools in five counties — Kwale, Garissa, Samburu, Kirinyaga and Embu — to protest the failure by county governments to implement their return to work formula signed last year.
The nurses’ strike began last week on Monday with 11 counties being affected, though some have since already heeded to the demands by the health workers.
According to the nurses union Secretary General Seth Panyako, nurses in the affected counties have raised varying demands which have to be addressed before the industrial action is called off.
The nurses strike comes following the expiry of notice issued to various county governments and the national government in December last year demanding fulfillment of their negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement. Meanwhile, clinical officers will hold a crucial meeting later in the week to chart their way forward over their collapsed CBA negotiations