This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary-General Seth Panyako has issued a stern warning to governors who have failed to pay their health workers' July salaries.
As of Thursday, only 12 out of 47 counties had paid their nurses, leaving the rest facing a possible strike.
"We have declared total war with these counties if they do not pay nurses by close of business on Monday 5pm. None of the health workers will go to work," Mr Panyako said.
Mr Panyako blamed the Council of Governors for the impending crisis, accusing its chairman, Wycliffe Oparanya, of poor leadership and misleading governors on payment of salaries and union fees.
He cited Kakamega County as an example, where nurses were paid on Thursday morning, yet Governor Oparanya had issued a letter urging other counties not to pay.
Mr Panyako also accused governors of duping Kenyans by seeking treatment outside the country, leaving the healthcare systems in counties in mayhem.
"The strike will cause the grounding of every service, including ambulances, but these governors will seek private healthcare out of the country or in expensive hospitals, leaving 'Wanjiku' languishing because the whole system will have been brought to a halt," he said.
Speaking in Kisumu, Mr Panyako dismissed claims that counties do not have money for salaries, citing the 50% of the budget allocated for recurrent expenditure and emergencies.
However, President Uhuru Kenyatta has maintained that the National Treasury has no extra money for counties.
The union also noted that nurses are frustrated while on duty and lack security, condemning the brutal killing of a nurse in Nandi County.
