Siaya nurses storm county offices to protest salary delays

The irate nurses accused the county administration of repeated failures to honor agreed timelines.

Led by officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), Siaya branch, the health workers demanded immediate action, saying the delays had become perennial and were undermining their ability to meet daily obligations.

Kennedy Hamisi, the branch Secretary, said that they were promised that salaries would be paid by the latest last week but that never happened. Hamisi said the nurses have resolved not to resume duties until salaries are reflected in their bank accounts.

“This issue of salary delays is becoming perennial. We are urging our employer to consider processing salaries on time,” said Hamisi. 

The KNUN Siaya branch chairman Denis Onyango Omolo described the situation as “cancerous,” saying salary delays had become a monthly occurrence and they now think that it is deliberate.

“Somebody is not doing the right thing at the right time,” said Omolo. 

The chairman warned that the delays were affecting service delivery, as many nurses relied on salary advances and loans that left them with little to take home. This, he said, does not allow a nurse to offer quality services to the community.

The union accused the county of dishonoring previous agreements that salaries would be paid by the 30th day of each month, or by latest the 5th of every month.

 The nurses said they would await official communication from the finance department before deciding on the next course of action.