Meru County Secretary Dr Kiambi Atheru has accused medics for being politically influenced and impatient.
He said they have been promoting health workers in instalments due constrains of annual budget and wondered why they are going on streets and living Meru people suffering.
“Since the inception of Governor Kawira Mwangaza administration, we have promoted 163 health officers. The public service board has been evaluating 344 none common cadre health officers only that they are not patient enough. It is however not a guarantee for all of them to pass the suitability test and be promoted instantly. Their promotion budget fund is before the County assembly and it is yet to be approved, ” Atheru said.
Atheru remarks comes as medics continued with their strike for the fifth day consecutively.
The medics took to the streets while blowing whistles and waving placards to show their discontentment with Governor Mwangaza administration.
They are demanding for immediate promotions and employment of staff as well as replacing the workers who have either passed away or left job for greener pastures.
The striking medics who marched to County government offices and county assembly premises are pointing accusing fingers at Governor Mwangaza, accusing her of failing to address their demands for promotions and the hiring of approximately 80 additional health officers to alleviate their workload.
Kenya Union of Nurses Meru Branch Secretary General, Nesbit Mugendi, expressed deep sympathy for the patients caught in this crisis, which he believes could have been resolved nine months ago.
“We agreed on promotion and no money should be diverted in the coming budget. We visited County assembly offices to emphasize that no single shilling should be removed to cater for promotion,” Mugendi insisted.
Clinical Officers Secretary General, Moses Baiyenia, criticized the Mwangaza administration and lamented that they never found offices open despite them getting access after forcing their way into the county headquarters.
“We will go back to work if we get promotion letters by Friday. No one should cheat the members of the public that this strike is political,” he said.
Meru branch Nurses union chair Mugambi Bakari said majority of their colleagues have retired without replacement.
“Since 2022 there has been no employment or replacement of more than 300 medics. There are no drugs in our hospitals as well,” Baiyenia said.
Elias Mutuma said their demands are achievable because not all their grievances needs allocation of funds.
“We laud MCAs for factoring in funds to promote health officers. We are forced to close our health facilities because the county government is not listening to us. There are issues that can be done because they are not dependent on a budget,” he said.
