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Kidero ‘too busy’ to talk to striking health workers

By LILLIAN MUTAVI February 22nd, 2017 2 min read

Striking clinical officers have accused Nairobi county Governor Evans Kidero of being too busy to meet them after talks with City Hall officials collapsed.

The health workers have been on strike from Monday to demand allowance promised to them by the Council of Governors last month.

On Tuesday, they marched to City Hall for a scheduled meeting with Dr Kidero but were instead referred to senior health officials.

Speaking to Nairobi News, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers secretary-general George Gibore said Dr Kidero had told them to send their representative for talks on the stalemate but later delegated the task to the county executive member in charge of health Dr Bernard Muia.

“The union representative today was meant to meet with the governor but he delegated the job to his officers who did not have any solutions and all they said is they will consult and get back; the strike is ongoing,” said Mr Gibore.

He said that the governor bailing out of the negotiation shows how uncommitted governors are to implement an MOU signed by the doctors.

He said that among the immediate grievances they wanted the governors to address is the service allowances and call allowances which they had been promised to be paid after two weeks since they called off the strike.

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Mr Gibore added that the county should also address discrimination in internship allowances, remuneration, employment, promotions and harmonisation of salaries.

Mr Gibore said that after they had left the negotiation table the council of governors have failed to give concrete information of the how far they have reached in implementation process.

He also urged the clinical officers still working to join in the strike to demand for their dues from the county government.

Mr Gibore says that the governors have shortchanged them and discriminated against them as they are not priotizing their issues.

Mr Gibore added that the doctors strike has caused a lot of anxiety in the country and put pressure on the clinical officers who are currently running the hospitals.

This comes at a time when patients in the public hospitals are suffering since the doctors’ strike has been on more than 70 days.

Efforts to reach executive officer health Dr Bernard Muia were futile as he was in parliament presenting doctors petition.