By Otieno Patrick

Siaya County’s public health sector remains disrupted as nurses and other healthcare workers enter the third month of an industrial action over delayed salaries, medical cover and other unresolved grievances.

The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), Siaya Branch, says nurses employed on permanent and pensionable terms have gone three months without pay, while county-contracted nurses are owed salaries dating back seven months.

Speaking during a demonstration at the county government’s finance department, KNUNM Siaya Branch Secretary Kennedy Hamisi said the prolonged delays had left many healthcare workers struggling to meet basic needs.

According to Hamisi, some nurses are unable to pay rent, meet school-fee obligations or afford transport to their respective workstations.

“Nursing is a calling, but we cannot eat that calling. We need to be paid for the services that we are offering,” Hamisi said.

Health Services Hit By Prolonged Strike

The union says the salary crisis extends beyond nurses, with medical officers, laboratory technicians and pharmacy technologists also participating in the strike.

Hamisi accused the county government of failing to resolve the impasse, saying the prolonged industrial action was affecting healthcare delivery across Siaya.

The union has also raised concerns over medical cover for county health workers.

Hamisi claimed that deductions for the Social Health Authority (SHA) are made from workers’ salaries but are not consistently remitted, leaving some employees unable to access healthcare when they need it.

He called on the county government to either provide functional medical cover for its employees or ensure all statutory health insurance deductions are remitted on time.

Union Calls for Talks With County Government

KNUNM Siaya Branch Chairperson Dennis Omollo urged Governor James Orengo to intervene and bring the parties to the negotiating table.

He said the prolonged strike was having a serious impact on healthcare services, warning that patients were bearing the brunt of the standoff.

Omollo also appealed to elected leaders, religious leaders and other stakeholders to intervene and help resolve the dispute.

“We are calling upon the governor to reach out to his team. We are very much willing to be on the table, talk, consult and find a solution to this problem,” Omollo said.

Meanwhile, nurse Eucabeth Owuor described the situation as increasingly distressing, saying healthcare workers were being expected to provide essential services while struggling to meet their own basic needs.

Owuor also criticised a recent communication from the county’s Human Resources department asking workers to obtain letters explaining their salary delays to landlords and schools.

She questioned how such letters would help workers meet their financial obligations.

“If I fall sick now, is that letter going to provide for my treatment in the hospital?” Owuor posed.

The nurses say they took an oath to serve patients but cannot continue working indefinitely without salaries and adequate medical cover.

They are demanding payment of the three months’ salary arrears owed to permanent and pensionable nurses and the seven months’ arrears owed to contracted nurses, alongside the resolution of other outstanding grievances.

The union has called on the Siaya County Government to urgently intervene and end the stalemate, warning that the continued disruption of healthcare services could have serious consequences for residents.

For now, patients in Siaya continue to feel the impact of the ongoing labour dispute as healthcare workers remain off duty.