All Nairobi County healthcare workers due for higher ranks will be promoted by the end of this month, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has announced.
This comes after the healthcare workers’ union faulted the NMS for failing to promote medical staff hired on contract even though Sh538 million was set aside for the exercise.
Kenya Union of Nurses Nairobi branch secretary Boaz Onchari said some 1,600 healthcare workers have been on probation for more than 12 years.
All Nairobi County healthcare workers due for higher ranks will be promoted by the end of this month, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has announced.
NMS director-general Mohamed Badi directed finance and human resource directors to effect the promotion of the 1,600 staff within two weeks.
“All due promotions will be done in the next two weeks. Some of the staff have gone over 10 years without promotion. To me that is totally inhumane,” said Lt Gen Badi.
This comes after the healthcare workers’ union faulted the NMS for failing to promote medical staff hired on contract even though Sh538 million was set aside for the exercise.
Kenya Union of Nurses Nairobi branch secretary Boaz Onchari said some 1,600 healthcare workers have been on probation for more than 12 years and are yet to be absorbed despite NMS returning the allocated budget.
The situation, he said, is behind the perennial strikes in the health sector in the capital.
“Our sector has had the most strikes because our issues have not been addressed. Many staff employed in the year 2010 have been on probation for 12 years,” said Mr Onchari.
“Are they supposed to spend their whole working life on probation where they cannot even get a loan with a payslip that shows they are not permanent employees?” he posed.
Clinical Workers Union Nairobi branch secretary Tom Nyakaba said only doctors are promoted yet lower cadre employees such as nurses and clinical officers can also do the job.
“This has been long-running discrimination. There is no need to take a surgeon from the theatre and make them medical superintendents to do administration work yet the theatre is where they are needed most.
“Qualified staff from the other cadres should be given such opportunities as well,” said Mr Nyakaba.
The union official called for the formation of a work council where the county government and union officials sit regularly to iron out labour-related issues to forestall frequent industrial disputes in Nairobi.
