This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Kitui County has been plunged into chaos as workers downed tools over unpaid July and August salaries, a move that has paralysed public service delivery in the county. The strike, which began on Tuesday, is the latest in a series of protests by workers over delayed payments.
According to the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) Kitui Branch Secretary Benjamin Munyalo, the workers will only return to work once their salaries for the two months have been paid in full. 'We are tired of these cat and mouse games with the county government. We will not continue to work without salaries. Enough is enough,' he announced.
Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU)’s Kitui branch chairman Stephen Kitheka accused the Ngilu administration of being noncommittal about timely payment of employees’ salaries. 'It beats sense why Kitui has refused to pay its employees yet other counties have somehow managed to pay their respective staff despite the ongoing cash crisis among the devolved units,' he wondered.
The standoff between the Senate and the National Assembly over the Division of Revenue Bill 2019 has left the county government unable to pay workers’ salaries since July. The workers, including nurses and clinical officers, have since vacated and locked up their work stations to protest the continued salary delays.
