NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 1 — The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has vowed to continue the nationwide nurses’ strike into its fifth week, saying the industrial action will only end after the government and the Council of Governors agree to sign and implement a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

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The union has also called for President William Ruto’s intervention following an alleged assault on nurses during a demonstration in Kisii.

KNUNM National Chairperson Joseph Gwosi said negotiations had resolved the issue of nurses who had been working on contract under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, with affected workers beginning to receive letters confirming their employment on permanent terms.

He said the union and the Council of Governors had also agreed to establish a joint committee to develop career guidelines for nurses.

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However, Gwosi said the implementation of the CBA remained the main outstanding issue.

“The matters we have not agreed on is one matter which is very important to nurses. And that is the matter of the contract of working which is known in English as CBA. There we want to tell the nation and our health workers who are nurses that we have no agreement with the government,” he said.

The union estimates that implementing the CBA would cost about Sh5.9 billion, an amount Gwosi said was affordable for the government.

“The government is being dishonest on this matter. We know, and we have seen even the money that has been spent on various occasions. That money is enough to cater for the nurses CBA, which just requires 5.9 billion,” he said.

Gwosi questioned why the government could not meet the cost of the agreement while implementing salary reviews for other public officers.

He said nurses were also seeking recognition of the risks associated with their work, particularly their exposure to infectious diseases.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya