Health workers in Meru County marched to Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s office on Monday, demanding better working conditions, timely promotions, and the replacement of retired medical officers.
The protest, spearheaded by the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Meru Branch and the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Meru Branch, underscored the growing discontent among healthcare professionals in the region.
Nesbitt Mugendi, the secretary of KNUN Meru Branch, voiced the frustrations of many health workers.
"Right now we are at the county offices. We do not have so much; we came here to demand our promotion. It is unfortunate that we have arrived and nobody has welcomed us.”
“We are certain that we will make ends meet. We are here to confirm whether the promotions are here or not. If we get our promotion letters, we are ready to go back to work today in the evening," Mugendi stated.
Mugendi highlighted the critical staffing shortages affecting the county's healthcare facilities.
"We are also demanding the replacement of all medical officers that have retired. We have over 90 facilities that are manned by only one nurse.”
“We are also aware that there are a number of UHC officers who have not converted their tenure of employment from contract to permanent and pensionable. We have a number of facilities that have never been opened," he added.
Moses Bayenia, the Secretary General of KUCO Meru Branch, echoed Mugendi's sentiments, pointing to unfulfilled promises from the county government.
"We were able to agree with the county government that we shall be promoted, and that has not happened two years down the line. She has been telling us that she doesn't have the budget," Bayenia lamented.
Bayenia expressed the union's disappointment with the leadership of Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s failure to honour their commitments.
"We want to remind the county government of Meru that we agreed that within 100 days of leadership, she was going to involve us in making arrangements so that our health sector is well catered for.”
“Today we are doing three years of her leadership, and we have not seen any goodwill from her. If these things are not implemented in totality, we are not going back to our facilities," he declared.
The protest highlights a broader issue facing the healthcare sector in Kenya, where workers frequently grapple with inadequate resources, delayed promotions, and unfulfilled governmental promises since the health function was devolved.
