The AIC Kijabe Mission Hospital in Kiambu County announced the retrenchment of 230 employees who are expected to be served with their termination letters on Tuesday, January 14.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, an official working at the facility confirmed the intended layoff, which is expected to add to the growing number of unemployed Kenyans.
According to the source, the first phase of retrenchment targets support staff including housekeeping, laundry, security and hospitality departments.
However, the workers fear that the process may continue to other departments in the hospital.
“The employees are living in fear at the wake of the realization that the hospital intends to render them jobless.
“Where do you expect a guard who already had an established job to go? This means that more families are expected to now dip into more troubles within no time,” remarked the source.
Further, the retrenchment is expected to affect the local community are residents had benefitted from employment at the renowned facility.
They are reportedly planning to hold peaceful demonstrations to protest the hospital's action.
“This unfortunate action will seriously affect the local economy and cause a lot of suffering to the local community.
“Because of this predicament, a peaceful demonstration will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, from 9 am to express solidarity with our people who will be affected and to demand unconditional reinstatement of those who have been terminated,” remarked the source.
According to another worker at the facility, claimed that some senior officials intended to benefit from the process.
“The services will be outsourced from companies which are owned by friends of some hospital management team and board members.
“Some sources indicate that earnings from this outsourcing will be shared by those hospital leaders which is a step in the negative direction,” remarked the worker.
Kijabe is known to perform over 200 operations each month.
The special procedures commonly performed at the facility include exploratory C-section, tubal ligation, skin graft among others.
The hospital has a working population of more than 1,000 workers.
