March 9, 2025

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NAIROBI HEALTH WORKERS THREATEN TO DOWN TOOLS

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By Michelle Anzaya

The Nairobi Health Workers have today issued a fourteen days strike notice.

This comes after they issued a seven day period to dialogue with their employer; the Nairobi Metropolitan Services which is headed by Major General Mohammed Badi.

Speaking in a press briefing earlier on today led by Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Nairobi Branch Secretary Tom Nyakaba, Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Nairobi Branch Secretary Boaz Onchari and Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Offices (KNUMLO) Nairobi Branch Secretary Dennis Oduor, the health professionals say that  despite their employer; the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS)   being in operation for two years, It has completely disregarded Clinical Officers, nurses, Public Health Officers, Pharmaceutical Technologists and other health cadres providing health care to Nairobi people.

The workers claim that the NMS has been using unorthodox means such as arbitrary transfers, threats and intimidations and removal from the payroll to address workers’ issues and now want President Uhuru Kenyatta to personally intervene and have their issues resolved owing to the fact that NMS is under his office.

“It’s been almost fourteen months now since the last strike and we have given our employer a good opportunity for the year 2020/2021 to ensure that our demands are met but NMS has failed to honour the agreement. Last week we gave a seven day period to allow for dialogue between us and the NMS but all we have not received any communication from them,” Mr. Boaz Onchari told the media.

Among the grievances that the health workers want addressed are; promotions, resignations, confirmations, stagnations, delayed payment of salaries and secondment issues.

The workers also demand that they want to leave the NMS and go back to their previous employers; the Nairobi County Government saying that the entity has mismanaged health care workers in their county and their welfare.

Failure to act upon their woes, all health workers in Nairobi County will down their tools from Monday 7th March, 2022.