The ongoing industrial action by nurses in Siaya County has taken a fresh twist after Governor James Orengo's administration ordered the workers to resume their duties immediately.
This follows a court order issued on Wednesday, November 12, in which a judge in Kisumu issued an interim injunction restraining the nurses from continuing with their strike.
In response to the ruling, the Siaya County government directed all nurses participating in the strike to return to their workstations by 8am on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
In its directive, the county government threatened to halt salaries and allowances of nurses who fail to adhere to the court order, emphasising that compliance with the court’s order was mandatory.
"All nurses and midwives who were participating in the strike which commenced on September 17, 2025, resume duty in their respective work stations immediately and not later than Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 8 am," read the notice.
"Any nurse or midwife who does not resume work immediately in compliance with the orders of the court shall have their salaries and/or allowances withheld within the framework provided by law," it added.
To ensure adherence, Governor Orengo instructed the county officer in charge of Health to conduct daily roll calls to monitor attendance and verify those who have resumed duty.
However, the county government assured the health workers that none of them would be victimised or punished for initially taking part in the strike.
Siaya County nurses have been on strike for seven weeks now and vowed to continue with their industrial action until the county government heeds their demands.
They have been on strike due to the county government's failure to fulfil the previous return-to-work formula agreement and non-remittance of statutory deductions.
The nurses have also been demanding compensation for their colleagues who were injured by suspected hired goons during a previous strike in September this year.
On September 30, more than 20 nurses were injured during the fracas that saw goons descend on them with clubs and other crude weapons while they were demonstrating outside the Governor's office.
