THE GENESIS OF THE NURSES STRIKE-PART ONE.

With the heightened political temperatures rising by the day it might be lost that the Kenyan nurses are on strike,save for the paltry updates on the local media and extensive updates on the social arena,thanks to energetic George Isaiah Shivekah et al. Well, let it be known that until the negotiated and agreed CBA is signed and deposited in a court of law the strike is here for the long haul, Its 38 days and still counting. It is important to note that the current stalemate is a product of disjointed and deliberate disorganization of the employer, in the context of C.O.G with the ultimate motive of derailing the whole process. The strike therefore is a culmination of long term engagement that dates back to 2008 and it has been subject to unfruitful deliberations for over 9 years. In December 2016, the Kenya National Union of Nurses, KNUN a nurses umbrella body arrived at the conclusion to call for a national strike to voice their frustrations through alternative avenues as provided by the law  when the discussion over CBA hit a dead end. However further engagement with the employer yielded a RTWF with nursing service allowance provided to specifically address the peculiar services by a nurse. As cunning as they have always been, the allowance or NSA as it was famously known was withdrawn later in January with no explanation by the employer. As it has been argued, the allowance was meant to entice the nurses to go back to the health facilities since the doctors had taken to the streets as well, as we all know the doctors strike lasted for eternity. With the RTWF and in the best interest of the lives of Kenyans the nurses agreed to go back to work as the union officials engaged the employer together with other relevant authorities, SRC and MOH included. The negotiations were a timed process that was supposed to end in March 2017. In fact it was concluded and agreed upon, a document was available and naturally any responsible employer should have expeditiously had the document signed and deposited in court  to avert the current strike and prevent the untold suffering Kenyans have underwent. The employer with their usual cat and mouse games haven’t disappointed either and they are back at it with blame games and all manner of accusations, threats, intimidations and un ending cycle of irresponsible utterances as recently depicted by  the C.O.G chair, C.O.G health committee chair and SRC. They have gone to the extent of compromising a former chair of the union who has unlawfully purported to speak on behalf of the union to create confusion and division but their effort will not see the light of the day. The Kenyan nurse has been pushed to the elastic limit and the only language they understand at this point is either a CBA or a CBA, yes there are no two ways about it. It’s either now or never na Punda amekufa, the wait for better remuneration has been long and painful.

It is important to state the following. That the strike suspended in December was just re-activated, so the arguments by an imposter in the name of John Bii regarding the legality of the strike is both misleading and unfounded, besides the official communication from the union as mandated by the law is done by the secretary general. The current CBA which has been subject to the negotiations that was conclusively agreed upon is worth 7.2 Billion a year and 28 Billion in four years and not 40 Billion as claimed by the opponents of the nurses’ quest for better pay. The ballooned figure of 40 Billion only exists in the minds of the governors’ and it is meant to scare the public on inexistent mind reaping economic consequences and incite them against  hard working nurses already reeling from un explainable burn out. The CBA in summary is the irreducible minimum at this point in time that hopes to address issues of uniform, responsibility and risks in line of duty. As opposed to the shoddy job evaluation done by SRC, a nurse is up to 30 times at risk of nosocomial infections compared to any other cadre in the health fraternity. This is according to proven scientific findings, a case in point is the study done at Kenyatta national hospital and it was in concurrence with research done across the globe. In conclusion I wish to urge the C.O.G and SRC to end Kenyans further misery as the ball squarely lies in their court, and that no amount of intimidation will work. Secondly the Kenyan media should  give more coverage to the situation, as it stands what is being highlighted is a pale shadow of the real situation , lastly Kenyans should hold the leaders of the day accountable and should join the nurses to achieve better remuneration. A motivated nurse is highly efficient and productive besides a nurse is the heart of the health facility or so they say. Meanwhile the Nurses will Stay put until the CBA is signed and deposited in court.