This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On June 11, 2020, Governor Anyang' Nyong'o issued a press release ordering all healthcare workers in Nyanza to report back to work by Friday, warning that failure to do so would result in their presumed abscondment of duty.
According to the governor, an arbitration process had previously resolved issues of promotions, re-designations, salary delays, and Covid-19 allowances, but the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) leadership proceeded to call for a strike, citing no genuine reason to do so.
Knun secretary Maurice Opetu denied the governor's claims, stating that they had not been reached out to and that their strike would continue until all demands were met.
Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Secretary Craus Okumu also disputed the governor's claims, stating that there was no evidence that promotions had been implemented, as salary increments had yet to be reflected on pay slips.
As a result of the strike, services in 123 hospitals across the county were paralyzed, with private hospitals reporting a surge in numbers.
