On 21 November 2018, the Kenya National Union of Nurses said its planned strike set for 10 December would proceed in counties that had not implemented a deal reached after nurses suspended their action in November 2017.
In an interview with Ghetto Radio News, KNUN secretary general Seth Panyako said 10 counties, including Nairobi, had already confirmed they would honour the agreement. He said the industrial action would only affect counties that failed to comply, as well as national referral hospitals.
Panyako said Nairobi City County had sent written communication confirming it would pay the agreed allowance. He added that the union expected other counties to follow the same path rather than wait for the dispute to escalate.
He also blamed the Salaries and Remuneration Commission for slowing down implementation in counties that wanted to move ahead. According to Panyako, the commission had not yet issued the recognition letters needed for county governments to proceed with payment.
“We want to ask the new commissioners to act fast and ensure they write recognition letter to council of governors so that county government can go ahead and pay nurses,” he said.
The agreement at the centre of the dispute provided for a Sh5,000 uniform allowance and a Sh3,500 nursing allowance, with the payments to be phased through to 2021.
