Nurses have vowed to continue with their strike until the government meets their demands that include salary increments, promotions and better working conditions.
At the same time, the nurses have rejected a proposal by Health CS Aden Duale to transfer their to counties.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) rejected recent resolutions communicated by the government on May 6.
In a letter addressed to Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and dated May 9, the KNUNM General Secretary Seth Panyako, said that the union had rejected communications made by both PSs Mary Muthoni (Public Health) and Harry Kimtai (Medical Services), and the CEO of the Council of Governors, Mary Mwiti, saying that they will continue with the strike.
On May 6, Duale asked all UHC staff who were out on duty to resume work with immediate effect and not later than May 7.
Panyako said that all nurses across the country would join the strike and they will not stop until their demands are fully addressed.
He said that the union is dissatisfied with the handling of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) nurses, citing cases of discrimination.
"Following the consultative meeting between the unions and yourselves on May 6, in which both the Principal Secretary and the CEO of the Council of Governors made a communication on the resolutions, our union rejects the contents of the communication in totality," the letter reads.
The union also declared its opposition to the transfer of nurses to county governments unless their terms of service are regularized, insisting that fair treatment and equal pay are necessary for them to call off the strike.
The union further claimed to have information that doctors under the UHC program are being paid according to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) recommended rates and that their absorption into the system has already been included in the budget.
Duale had said that effective July 1, the national government will no longer handle the payments for UHC staff after the Ministry of Health transferred its payroll management to the county governments.
''The meeting resolved that the Ministry of Health shall transfer the management of UHC staff payroll to Counties effective July 1, with an attendant budget for payment of stipend under the current terms in the interim,'' the Ministry revealed in an official statement.
Under the new plan, counties will receive funding to sustain current salary terms during the transition.
