Having brought about heated acrimony in her county operations, especially amid employees of the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has finally explained the motive behind her sacking all 346 casual workers at the hospital.
According to the former Devolution Cabinet Secretary, the staff shake up was a change geared towards “meaningful progress”, citing that the county’s wage Bill takes up to 46 percent of its revenue, a result of “over staffing”, she states.
The governor further broke down the numbers:
“You will agree with me that 346 casuals in addition to 300 medical staff, 50 data entry staff and other support staff is over staffing for a 200 bed capacity hospital,” she stated on her Twitter.
This is the current status of Kerugoya hospital as at 12pm today. However, you will agree with me that 346 casuals in addition to 300 medical staff, 50 data entry staff and other support staff is over staffing for a 200 bed capacity hospital.#KirinyagaRising pic.twitter.com/iKG41bmgL6
— Anne Waiguru (@AnneWaiguru) May 12, 2019
Waiguru firmly sticks to her stance, despite a threat by medical staff at the referral hospital to go on strike if the casual workers are not reinstated in 72 hours.
MEDICS UNION threatens to withdraw doctors from Kerugoya hospital if Governor Waiguru fails to reinstate 346 sacked casual workers in 72 hours. pic.twitter.com/YOY5gZ6S2l
— NationBreakingNews (@NationBreaking) May 13, 2019
The doctors and nurses complain of contracting diseases due to working in the deplorable, unhygienic environment, that would have otherwise been avoided had the casual workers been present.
The medics claim that two of them have already contracted Hepatitis B.
“It is true that two nurses are suffering from hepatitis B and two others are have running stomachs and are undergoing treatment,” said the Kirinyaga Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers Chairman Paul Mwangi.
In response to the strike threats, Waiguru dismisses them as “political shenanigans” urging county staff to refuse to be derailed by them.
Kirinyagas wage bill is 46% of its revenue. That must change if we will see meaningful progress. We therefore refuse to be derailed by political shenanigans of those inciting staff to go on a go-slow citing removal of casual workers.#KirinyagaRising pic.twitter.com/k6sLv9sG3n
— Anne Waiguru (@AnneWaiguru) May 12, 2019