Nurses have defied President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order to return to work.
On Wednesday, the Head of State had ordered them to end their strike by Friday at 8 am or be fired.
This threat was echoed by the Council of Governors who hinted on doing a headcount to mark nurses who will have defiled this order.
“The National and County Governments stand with the President’s pronouncement. A roll call will be undertaken by both levels of Government tomorrow, Friday 15, 2019 at 8 am and nurses who will fail to return to work will be dismissed and further necessary disciplinary action will be undertaken in accordance with the law,” read a statement signed by Governor Oparanya and Health CS Sicily Kariuki.
These threats fell on deaf ears as nurses vowed not to end their strike.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General Seth Panyako asked nurses to remain firm with their strike even as they receive threats from both sides.
“The strike is a right and properly in place, we shall give them directions,” said Panyako as quoted by Citizen.
More so, the KNUN chairman insisted on the strike revealing that the nurses union doesn’t receive orders from President Uhuru’s State House.
“We are not responding to the President but rather the status of the ongoing strike across the country,” he said.
“The union leadership has a mandate drawn from our membership, the ongoing strike thereby is determined by the members through the branch leadership. We the national leaders can only be directed by the branch leadership,” insisted Panyako.