Alfred Obengo, a professional nurse slammed Seth Panyako for using his position as the Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) to bargain for power in government.
In a phone call to Kenyans.co.ke, Obengo, on Thursday, June 1, lamented that Panyako was running a briefcase union as nurses were leaving the union.
“Good riddance! Tumechoka na yeye! (We are tired of him!)
“He has been the SG of the union for years without an election. He has used that union to further his interest,” Obengo, the former president of the National Nurses Association of Kenya, lamented.
Additionally, Obengo noted it was time for Panyako, former deputy vice chairperson of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), to stop using the nurses’ union to further his political interest.
“Panyako has been a total embarrassment to our profession. When he was going to Ruto, he didn’t consult us. Now that the deal has gone sour, he has returned.
“Nurses are quitting that union en-masse. They are tired of his rhetoric and theatrics,” Obengo added.
Panyako was unavailable when reached for comment.
Panyako and Ruto
On May 27, the union boss resigned as deputy chairperson of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), opposing the 3 per cent housing levy proposed in the Finance Bill 2023.
"I spoke to the President and it was decided that my stand to object the housing levy and the cost of living did not allow me to continue in the leadership of the UDA party," Panyako claimed.
He further alleged that President William Ruto was surrounded by a cartel of six men who controlled government appointments.
“Initially, we used to sit with the then deputy president, talk and plan. He would call me often, even once a week, sometimes twice or thrice a day.
“Immediately after he went into office he stopped receiving my calls,” decried Panyako.
Reports, however, claimed that Panyako was aggrieved after failing to land a key position in government. He was also irked by Ruto's failure to recognise him as a key politician in Western Kenya.
In a rejoinder, UDA’s Secretary General Cleophas Malala dismissed Panyako’s resignation noting that he did not hold any office in the ruling party.
