The standoff between county governments and healthcare workers has deepened, with patients continuing to face disruptions as governors and unions take different positions on what should happen before the strike is called off.
The Council of Governors says it is taking steps to resolve the concerns raised by health workers, but the unions want all outstanding issues settled before they ask their members to resume duty.
Speaking during a media townhall on Tuesday, Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti said the workers’ grievances were expected to be addressed by the end of the week.
"Not all healthcare workers are on strike. Health work boycotts have drastically reduced in the last seven years," Ms Mwiti said.
Mwiti said the industrial action involved only two cadres, although the strike has affected several groups, including public health officers, nurses, clinical officers, pharmaceutical technologists and laboratory technicians.
She said county governments had agreed to put into effect the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached with clinical officers. A return-to-work formula is also expected to be signed as part of efforts to resolve the dispute.
Mwiti explained that the implementation of the CBA and signing of the return-to-work formula would then require concurrence from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on the proposed pay and allowances.
"The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (Kuco)should have waites before calling the strike l.Most counties have started implementing the deal “ she said.
She said a number of counties had already begun implementing the agreement, arguing that the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers should have allowed more time for the process before declaring the strike.
Attention will now turn to the nurses’ grievances, with Mwiti saying governors will meet on Thursday to examine their concerns and agree on steps that could help end the boycott.
The Council of Governors is also looking ahead to the two-day Health Summit scheduled for next week, where human resources will be among the issues expected to be discussed.
Mwiti said she expected the ongoing industrial action to be resolved before the meeting brings together key players in the health sector.
*1 believe all the strikes will have ended by time the summit begins, she said.
Her remarks, however, come against a firm position from the healthcare workers’ unions, which have maintained that members cannot return to work until their demands are fully addressed.
Kuco chairperson Peterson Wachira, when contacted, said the SRC had already completed its part of the process by issuing a circular.
The differing positions point to continued negotiations between county governments and healthcare workers, with governors seeking an end to the boycott while the unions continue to push for implementation of the agreements and resolution of the remaining grievances.