Health workers in 42 counties paid July salaries, say governors
Governors Sunday insisted they had paid health workers their July salaries and, therefore, there is no reason for them to go on strike.
Following threats by the workers that they would down tools from today over delay in payment, governors said they would hold a meeting today in a bid to avert a health crisis in counties.
Doctors and other health workers cited controversial promotions and training, tribalism and harassment by county assembly members as other reasons for the planned industrial action.
Kisii Governor James Ongwae, who is the chairman of the Human Resource Committee of the Council of Governors, and his Migori counterpart Okoth Obado yesterday released a list of 42 counties which they said had paid health workers their July salaries.
They said the remaining five had promised to pay within the next two days.
“Our analysis confirms that so far 42 counties have paid, some even through private arrangements, in order to end the suffering of health workers,” said Mr Ongwae during a press conference at a Nairobi hotel.
He said contrary to claims by doctors and nurses that counties were unable to handle health services, which had been devolved, the leader said governors had gone out of their way to ensure the salaries were paid.
The governor blamed the national government for the slow disbursement of funds to counties.
Mr Ongwae said the Integrated Financial Management Information System had also caused a delay in the payment of the July salaries.
The governor asked Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli to stop agitating the workers to boycott work, saying he should “not join other forces fighting devolution”.
“The truth of the matter is that under the devolved dispensation, which began last year, there was a delay in the remittance of funds to counties in July because of the process the Revenue Bill must go through after the Budget speech in June,” he said.
“Because of this, the challenge of paying July salaries has been felt by both the national and county governments. It has also been felt across various sectors. It’s not unique to the health sector,” added the governor.
FINANCIAL SYSTEM
According to the governors’ list, compiled by the Technical Committee on Health and Biotechnology, workers had been paid in Baringo and Bomet.
In Bungoma, the county government had made partial payments, with efforts still going on to clear the balance.
Though workers had been paid in Busia, according to the document, the problem lay with the financial system that had delayed funds from being released into workers’ accounts.
