Healthcare services paralyzed in Kajiado as nurses down tools

As a result, Kajiado Referral Hospital has been forced to discharge all admitted patients due to an acute shortage of healthcare workers.

A spot check by Citizen TV paints a grim picture, with patients being turned away from public hospitals and forced to seek medical attention in private facilities.

The referral hospital, the largest in Kajiado County, now stands nearly deserted. Empty hallways and wards serve as a stark reminder of the strike's impact, with silence echoing through the facility. Most patients have been discharged, leaving only one critically ill patient who remains unable to move.

One of the affected patients, Ruth Mueni, voiced her frustration:

“Hapa sihudumiwi vizuri, hawako hapa, siwaoni, umewaona kweli? Hivyo ndivyo kuko.” 

Her caregiver echoed the distress, highlighting the dire situation:

“Hajahudumiwa wiki mbili sasa zimeisha. Walimwandikia madawa na zimeisha. Wagonjwa wengine walipigwa transfer wakatolewa hapa wakaenda nyumbani. Mimi sina uwezo wa kumtoa hapa, naomba usaidizi.” 

The striking nurses, who downed their tools on March 7, are protesting the delay in their promotions, the county government’s failure to employ them on permanent and pensionable terms, and what they term as unethical labor practices.

According to Stephen Rutere, the National Organizing Secretary of the Nurses' Union, the message to striking nurses is clear:

“Tunaambia wanachama wetu wauguzi wafunge hizo hospitali na waende nyumbani. Wakati serikali itakuwa tayari kutuogelesha, watatuita.” 

The union further accuses the county government of failing to remit statutory deductions such as the CPF for an astonishing 117 months. Wilson Leala, the Secretary General of the Nurses' Union in Kajiado, explained:

“We have third-party statutory deductions like CPF that have not been remitted for 117 months. They are deducted from our payslips but are not submitted to the right place.”

The nurses’ union also accuses the Kajiado County Government of failing to attend conciliatory meetings convened by the Ministry of Labour, a move they interpret as a lack of goodwill in resolving the impasse. Additionally, they claim the county has resorted to intimidation tactics, including withholding salaries, despite the strike being legally sanctioned. Rutere reinforced this point, urging nurses to stand firm:

“Wasitishwe na hizo barua wamepewa ambazo ni kinyume ya sheria. Kama chama, tutaenda mpaka kortini kuhakikisha hizo barua zimeondolewa kwa file.”