Striking nurses in Nyeri County have defied calls by newly elected Governor, Wahome Gakuru, to resume work as their grievances are looked into.
Despite the governor showing goodwill and promising to look into their welfare, the nurses insisted the strike was still on saying it was countrywide having been called by their national body, the Kenya National Union of Nurses.
The nurses who spoke yesterday after a meeting with the governor, said as a branch of the KNUN, they did not have the powers to call off the strike.
Led by their branch chair, Ann Nyawira, the nurses said only their national office could declare the strike over, once the grievances that led to the industrial action are addressed.
At the centre of the row, is a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that they want signed by the government and registered in court before they resume work.
They however said they were happy with the manner in which the new governor was handling their issues with promises of improving their terms of service and working environments.
Branch Secretary, Beatrice Nduati, reported that the governor promised to end their agony by settling their unpaid salaries dating back to June, this month.
She said the governor promised that their salaries would be paid on time and statutory deduction remitted to relevant bodies as way of motivating them.
The secretary added that the governor pledged to create for them the post of Director of Nursing Services as a way of giving them a channel to articulate their concerns.
In a bid to address staff shortage, the governor promised to employ 600 nurses in two months time to lessen the burden on the few who have been overburdened and working long hours.
They called on the governor to assist unlock the stalemate once the Council of Governors (CoG) is constituted so that they can go back to work.
