Striking nurses will have tough decisions to make before Friday following President Uhuru Kenyatta's fierce directive in a televised address on Wednesday.
For close to a week now, nurses from a good number of counties have been on strike, accusing their employers of failing to implement CBA of 2018/19.
Buoyed by Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya and his deputy Mwangi wa Iria, Uhuru warned nurses against picketing, adding that police are free now to act on them.
"All nurses have until Friday to return to their various stations of work. The strike was declared illegal and whoever defies that will not be tolerated," said the Head of State.
Uhuru added:
"As the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, I have instructed the police to unleash on those picketers who may be caught disrupting businesses in public facilities."
While it's not clear how the police will deal with errant nurses, Police have however previously unleashed on demonstrators. Article 37 of the constitution allows Kenyans to picket.
For those who may not return to work on Friday, Uhuru has instructed the county governments and Ministry of Health to sack them and advertise all vacancies for qualified Kenyans.
"If you fail to report to work on Friday latest 8am, the county governments and Ministry of Health will go ahead and advertise those positions."
President Uhuru is keen to leave behind a positive legacy with Healthcare being among his Big Four agenda.
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