Nakuru clinical officers threaten total shutdown as talks stall

Nakuru clinical officers have threatened to withdraw the minimum services they have been providing in critical care units as their strike entered its 37th day amid stalled talks with the county government.

The clinical officers are striking alongside nurses, who have now been off duty for more than two weeks, further disrupting health services across Nakuru County.

Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Nakuru branch chairperson Seprin Kerubo says the union was concerned that patients continued to suffer as negotiations between health workers and the county administration remained unresolved.

Kerubo says the union has held several meetings with the county government since Monday, but the latest meeting scheduled for Wednesday failed to take place.

“We are kindly requesting that our department hear our cries as clinical officers,” Kerubo says, appealing to the devolved unit’s top leadership to intervene and help resolve the dispute.

Nekesa Ednah, another KUCO official in Nakuru, raised concerns over the use of interns and other workers to provide services during the strike.

She says some interns have been exposed to patients’ despite being required to work under supervision, arguing that the situation could compromise patient safety.

“Interns are not supposed to see patients unsupervised,” Nekesa says, accusing the county of taking advantage of the strike to deploy them to provide services.

The officials say the dispute centers on several issues, including implementation of the collective bargaining agreement, career progression, enumeration and allowances.

The career progression framework, they say, is supposed to take effect in 2024, but has not been fully implemented in Nakuru.

The union also wants health risk allowances and other benefits provided for in the agreements to be addressed.

The stalled negotiations have now prompted the national union leadership to threaten to withdraw clinical officers who had been left behind to provide minimum services in critical areas.

KUCO national chairperson Peterson Wachira says the union had maintained some staff in theatres, critical care and other emergency areas despite the strike, but would withdraw them following the county government's failure to attend negotiations.

Wachira says the union has been in Nakuru for several days attempting to resolve the dispute, but county officials failed to attend the latest meeting.

“We have realized that they are not taking us seriously and they do not take the citizens of Nakuru seriously,” he says.

He also adds the withdrawal would affect more than 50 clinical officers who had been providing minimum services across health facilities in the county.

Wachira notes the union was prepared to sign a return-to-work agreement and have its members resume duty, but accuses the county government of showing no goodwill in resolving the dispute.

The union's grievances include implementation of a collective bargaining agreement already agreed upon at the Council of Governors level.

Wachira says the agreement is backed by a court order directing counties to implement it, but claims Nakuru has failed to comply.

The union has called on the county government to urgently return to negotiations and resolve the outstanding issues to allow health workers to resume duty and warns that the continued disruption of health services would leave residents bearing the greatest burden, particularly as the strike moves beyond one month.