Homa bay: Nurses in Homa Bay County have issued a seven-day strike notice to the county government following a raft of grievances. Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) County Secretary Emadick Okeyo stated that they will not be on duty starting Wednesday next week if their grievances are not addressed.

According to Kenya News Agency, Okeyo and the deputy chairperson, Brenda Peterson, accused the county government of failing to honor a return-to-work agreement which they signed in February. They noted that among their grievances were delayed promotions as well as delayed remittance of statutory deductions. Okeyo mentioned that at least 386 nurses should have been promoted by March this year, yet despite the signed agreement, no promotions have occurred.

Okeyo also demanded that members whose contracts with the county government have ended should receive their gratuity promptly. He highlighted that those affected had not been paid their August and September 2022 salaries, and the funds remain unpaid to this day. The issue of remittance of critical statutory deductions, particularly loans, insurance premiums, union dues, and Social Health Authority (SHA) premiums, has persisted, with SHA deductions not being remitted for the past two months.

Mr. Okeyo emphasized that the National Treasury announced it does not owe money to county governments, raising questions about why remittances are not promptly disbursed to relevant institutions. He warned that health services would be affected in all public health facilities, including dispensaries, starting next Wednesday.

Ms. Peterson added that nurses have shown patience despite working under severe difficulties, and reiterated the union’s stance to down tools until their demands are met. Efforts to reach the health department leadership for a comment were futile.