Machakos County gov’t warns it won’t pay striking medics

As medics in Machakos County kick off their strike, the county has warned that it will not pay those who join the industrial action.

The head of the county public service board Albanus Mutisya says of the ten departments in the county, only the health sector has been receiving promotions in the past three years and therefore they will not yield to this unfair approach.

According to Mutisya, the previous nationwide strike resulted in significant financial losses for the county as striking medics were paid full salaries amounting to millions for the 50 days they never reported on duty.

He affirmed that they had met all the demands for the medics except for promotions, which he affirmed would not happen until it trickles down to the other 5,000 workers in other departments.

“Doing so is like discriminatively feeding one child as the others watch at the periphery,” Mutisya said.

Addressing the media at the governor's office, Machakos County Secretary Muya Ndambuki stated that meeting the medics’ demands is unrealistic due to the county’s wage bill, which stands at 44 per cent, exceeding the legal limit of 35 per cent by 9 per cent.

He warned that any increase could further strain the county’s finances.

“The health department which consumes 53 per cent of the county's total budget has seen promotions of more than four hundred and twenty health workers since 2023, with clearing of promotion arrears in progress,” said Ndambuki.

He said they're considering adding at least 1,265 medics to the remaining health departments.

This is even as doctors, clinicians and those in public health maintained that their strike is still on until the county yields to their demands.

In last week's press address, the medics said the county must redesignate specialists in all cadres, effect their promotions and implement a return-to-work formula which they have been advocating for in the last three years.

This means patients seeking health services in all public health facilities in the county will continue to suffer even as the standoff between the medics and the county continues to persist.