Nurses union during a past press briefing.[Photo/Nation]Nurses’ union seems to have toned down on a threat to go on strike after eight counties promised to have the arrears of their members paid by end of this month 

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The Standard has confirmed that out of the 13 counties only Kakamega and Murang’a are yet to comply.

 The Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria has made it clear that he will not pay the defiant nurses in his county.  Kakamega is still holding discussions with the relevant union leaders. 

Bungoma, Nakuru, Narok, Elgeyo Marakwet, Migori, Makueni, and Nyamira, are some of the counties which have promised to pay their nurses by the end of this month. 

Laikipia, Nyeri and Kericho have already paid up according to the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN). 

 A letter dated January 5  was sent from the Council of Governors Chief Executive Office  and it was addressed to all the 47 governors and the county bosses were ordered to pay the arrears for the over three months nurses were on strike. 

Payment of the salaries was part of the Return to Work Formula signed on November 2, between the Council of Governors, Ministry of Health and Knun that instructed all nurses to be paid their dues withheld on or before December 31, 2017 and there should be no victimization. 

“This is to request all counties to comply with the terms of the aforementioned agreement and promptly pay the nurses their outstanding dues. This is to avert the industrial strife that prevailed in the country for a period of close to five months,” read the letter signed Eunice Fedha, for the CEO’s office and copied to all county secretaries who are in charge of human resource.

 Nurses should  start receiving uniform and nursing service allowance remunerated at Sh15, 000 and Sh23, 000 respectively effective from June this year. 

These allowances will be increased in the next financial year (June 2019) to Sh25, 000 and Sh30, 000. KNUN had protested in an earlier letter dated January 4, which was a response of another dated December 19 on postponing of the signing of the CBA by the CoG on grounds that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission was yet to provide a go ahead.