More than 400 nurses in West Pokot County have called off their strike, bringing to an end three weeks of suffering by patients in the County. The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) officials in the County said they decided to end the strike after being directed by their National Secretary General Seth Panyako to comply with the 60 day court order and give way for negotiations.
This comes as a relief for patients who had been admitted to various hospitals in the region, and the County government had sacked 112 nurses on contract in the county.
Addressing the press in Kapenguria, KNUN West Pokot Secretary Mr. Simon Konocho called on all nurses in the County to report to work latest by Monday. Konocho said the nurses will not be victimized for participating in the strike, adding that the Union had agreed to suspend the strike. He asked residents in the area to welcome the nurses as they resume work.
Mr. Konocho said the nurses have not been informed about those who were sacked. “No one has been served with a sacking letter and we are not aware, we only heard about it through the media,” he said.
Patients said they were happy that normal operations had resumed. “We are now being attended to by the nurses and we are praying that there will be no more strikes in future. When nurses refuse to work it is the patients who suffer the most,” said Peter Krop, one of the patients in Kapenguria.