The Machakos county government has urged striking health workers to comply with court orders and return to work to prevent further suffering for patients. Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi stated that the county has addressed most of the demands raised, asserting that the health workers should no longer continue their strike.
Mwangangi’s call follows an Employment and Labour Relations Court ruling in Machakos on Friday, which directed doctors, clinical officers, laboratory technicians, and public health officers to suspend the ongoing strike and return to work. An inter partes hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
He emphasized the importance of adhering to the court’s directive, saying, “We have done our best, and the only option we had was to go to court to obtain orders compelling the health workers to go back to work.” Mwangangi made these remarks during a burial ceremony for the late Lucia Munyambu in Mukunike village, Kangundo Sub-county.
On Friday, the labor court issued the orders after Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s administration warned striking health workers that no one would be paid for absconding from their duties. County Secretary and Head of Public Service Muya Ndambuki added that many of the grievances raised by the striking workers had already been addressed. “The county government is concerned that anybody involved in a go-slow or strike won’t get paid. We have been in discussion with them, but there are demands in the health department apart from one which we are discussing: promotions,” he said.
A spot check by *People Daily* across several private hospitals in the county revealed an increase in the number of patients due to the strike, with many struggling to meet treatment costs. Ruth Mutuku, 42, expressed her concerns, stating, “I can hardly afford the high charges at a private hospital.” Her son, Peter Muli, 18, had been admitted to Kangundo Level 4 Hospital, but due to the strike, she had to bring him home.
