The council of governors has been requested to sign the MOU that was reached to between the national government and the KMPDU so as to allow the health workers return to work and help Kenyans who are suffering a lot, due to lack of medical services in many government hospitals in the country because of the ongoing strike.
Addressing the media in Lusokho village in Mbakalo ward in Tongaren Constituency during the retirement celebrations of Dr Godfrey Juma Wanyonyi, KMPDU chairman of Trans Nzoia County Edward Cheriot said Kenyan health workers have suffered a lot in the hands of county government and what they were asking among them risk allowance and insurance policy are normal things that doctors should have especially during this Covid-19 times because they are laying down their lives for the sake of the country and therefore deserve proper treatment and they will only accept to go back to work after the council of governors sign the MOU without altering anything, affirming that no doctor is supposed to use his or her money in treating themselves when they fall and especially when attacked by corona virus yet most of them have used their own salaries to get treatment due to delayed salaries, some fail to get proper treatment as they can’t afford and end up dying yet the county and national government are doing little or nothing at all to safeguard the lives of health workers.
The accused the council of governors for playing delaying tactics just to punish them but they promised to stay put until things are done the way they agreed with National Government through the Ministry of Health, saying the county government has been delaying their salaries without any convincing reasons and such issues must be addressed.
His sentiments were echoed by his secretary general Willy Sifuna who accused some county governments among them Kisumu, Kisii and Mombasa for sacking some health workers engaged in strike saying no county government has a mandate of doing so and as a union they are heading to labor court for proper interpretation and they are sure the courts will squash the sacking adding that they are within constitutional mandate which allows picketing and they have not destroyed any property during their entire strike period. Sifuna added that they will not go back to work until the memorandum is signed by the council of governors but its likely that the strike may take longer as the governors have refused to sign citing being sidelined from the whole process of coming up with the MOU. They say they were not involved in the memorandum yet they are key players in the whole process as health is devolved.
Ndivisi MCA from Bungoma county assembly who attended the function asked president Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy and handshake partner Rt. Honourable Raila Amollo Odinga to abandon the BBI issues and settle the issues raised by the health workers first adding that BBI isn’t that important as at now because patients are dying due to the strike.
Wanyonyi Pepela said it is laughable to see other countries working hard to find how they could end corona, Kenya on its part are only talking of who becomes the next president and BBI which he says can wait. Dr Godfrey Juma Wanyonyi on his part appreciated the government for giving him the opportunity to work for the last more than thirty years and urged youth who are still working to utilise their salaries well and initiate viable projects which will assist them when they retire saying that most retirement people who die early after exiting office don’t plan their exit well. He added that five years before one’s retirement day should be used as trial years for planning what project to do while leaving the service. He encouraged parents to take their children who have not qualified direct entry to university, to join tertiary colleges and polytechnics in order to acquire the skills required to help them sustain themselves in the community instead of giving them motorbikes which has led to many of them dying or crippled after involving in road accidents.
He asked leaders to provide guidance to youths so that they can be able to of help in their future.