Kenya: Kenya: Serem Rejects Salary Deal As Nurses Strike Hits Hospitals

One person died next he was turned away from a hospital on Monday, as the health sector was thrown into a crisis next the Salaries and Remuneration Commission rejected a new pay agreement for nurses, which had been negotiated by the Council of Governors.

Nurses in public hospitals have downed their tool to turmoil poor salaries.

The additional than 25,000 nurses are demanding the implementation of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed between their union and the Council of Governors (CoG).

Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) acting secretary-general Maurice Opetu has accused the governors of being insensitive to their plight.

But governors said they were dedicated to ending the strike and had forwarded a draft proposition on the health worker's needs to the commission for approval.

SH40.3 BILLION PROPOSAL

CoG chairman Josphat Nanok and counties' health committee chairman James Ongwae said they had presented a proposition for Sh40.3 billion to the commission and that they were just waiting for a no-objection letter before implementing it.

"Once the commission makes a pronouncement on the matter, county governments will go ahead and sign the CBA with the nurses' union," said Mr Nanok.

However, on Monday the commission's secretary Anne Gitau in a letter said the commission is restrained to issue a "no objection letter" since the draft CBA had ignored its advise.

The SRC, in a letter dated March 9, advised governors that the CBA be negotiated, subject to availability of funds.

The nurses reached an agreement with the CoG in December last year.

GRADING STRUCTURE

The SRC said the purpose for the grading structure is equity and harmony.

It had as well advised negotiations of basic salaries to be within the framework of the final approved job evaluation fee structure provided for health workers and communicated by the SRC to the Ministry of Health.

It as well advised that health risk allowance be enhanced to a maximum of Sh5,000 a month. Nursing service allowance was to be harmonised to Sh20,000, effective July 1, and to be funded by respective employers.

Extraordinary, home and hardship allowances are to be retained at the existing rates as per existing SRC circulars.

Ms Gitau said the commission is from presently on to receive a response to a letter dated March 27 addressed to the chairperson of the County Public Service Board National Negotiating Team and copied to the CoG, requesting confirmation of availability of funds.

DELAY OF SALARIES

The CoG had thrown the blame on the delay of nurses' salaries on the SRC's failure to issue a letter of "no objection".

The strike comes six months next they signed the return to work formula. The nurses' allowances amounts to Sh3.4 billion annually.

The strike disrupted services in public hospitals in various parts of the country, with patients, some in critical condition, being turned away.

Mr Joseph Leng'uro, who was critically ill, died any minute at this time next he was turned away from the Samburu County Referral Hospital.

Hospital administrators told his family to take him to a private hospital but he died outside the hospital.

REMOVED BABIES

Six parents in the same hospital removed their babies from the incubator machines without the doctor's consent, fearing for the infants' lives.

At the same time, services stalled in Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisii, Bomet and Homa Bay counties as the health workers kept off work.

In Vihiga, all nursing services were paralysed as the caregivers gathered at Vihiga County Referral Hospital in Mbale to officially launch their boycott.

Patients were stranded at various health facilities, with a lot of being caught unawares by the industrial action.

Nurses in Kakamega threw out interns at the Kakamega General Hospital as doctors struggled to attend to patients, with the help of pharmacists.

Kakamega KNUN chairman Renson Bulunya and Vihiga secretary Caleb Maloba said the strike would go on until their demands are met.

EFFECTS OF STRIKE

"Additional than 1,000 nurses in Kakamega region will participate in demonstrations and will not set foot in hospitals until their needs are catered for," said Mr Bulunya.

The union's Homa Bay executive secretary George Bola said: "We are joining our colleagues nationally to request higher pay, which the governors have failed to honour."

At the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, patients felt the effects of the strike.

In Kisii, the nurses took to the streets to turmoil the failure to sign the CBA.

At the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, there were no services in the maternal child health clinics, palliative care and renal dialysis departments, which are administered by nurses.

TURNED AWAY

"I have been told to go away and return at the same time as the nurses resume business, though the clinical officers do not know at the same time as they will be back," said Ms Asenath Ongaga, an expectant mother who had an appointment at the clinic on Monday.

The hospital's chief executive Enoch Ondari was away on official duties and could not be reached for comment.

In Bomet, the union's deputy secretary Benard Cheruiyot said the 348 nurses in the region would keep off work until the transaction was signed.

In Mombasa, the strike paralysed health services in all public hospitals.

At the Coast Provincial General Hospital patients and their relatives waited desperately for services.

DISCHARGED PREMATURELY

Ms Esther Mkai said her relative had been in the hospital for almost a month and that he was on Monday discharged prematurely due to the strike.

"We are being told that the nurses are going on strike and this is the beginning of our suffering. They should think of our wellbeing. People are going to die here," said an extra patient, Mr Lawrence Changawa.

The union's Mombasa secretary Peter Maroko said: "This is a national strike. The government wants to dilly dally but we will not allow it. In Mombasa alone, we have 700 nurses who are on strike. We are not going to listen to any one but our top officials, on the way forward."

Health executive Binti Omar said the county would engage the union officials on the way forward.

However, she said the county was not in a position to solve the CBA problem but officials were trying their level best to ensure that patients are attended to.

PUBLIC HOSPITALS

In Nakuru, services were disrupted in public hospitals as all the nurses remained away.

"The governors had by presently agreed on the details of the CBA. The only reason it has not been effected is because the salaries commission has not given a go-ahead for it to be signed," said Ms Cyprian Odero, the union's South Rift secretary.

In Kwale, the nurses demonstrated in the town, chanting slogans and vowing to continue with the strike until their demands were met.

Nurses demonstrate in the streets of Kisii town as their nationwide strike began on June 5, 2017. PHOTO | BENSON MOMANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The strike affected operations at Kwale sub-county Hospital where services were offered only to outpatients.

The union's chairman Tobias Onyango said nurses would only resume business next the agreement was signed.

HONOUR AGREEMENT

"We will continue with the strike until such a time at the same time as the two levels of government will honour the agreement," said Mr Onyango.

In Mt Kenya region, some nurses heeded the strike call, while others continued with their work as usual.

Nurses at Chuka County Referral Hospital reported for work in the morning as usual, although the branch chairman, Mr Fabian Marigu, said they would as well join the strike.

In Nyeri and some parts of Meru, the strike did not take off, while in Mandera no services were offered in all the 60 health facilities.

HUGE ADJUSTMENTS

In Nairobi, Mr Nanok said the nurses' demands require huge adjustments of national and county government budgets.

"But the government is still in talks with the union approaching up with an amicable solution," he added.

"We want to acknowledge on a figure you and I can afford because the money will be coming from taxpayers," said Mr Ongwae, the Kisii governor.

He accused the nurses of rushing to go on strike at the same time as the negotiations had not been concluded.