County operations threatened as staff vow to down tools

Seth Onyango and Irene Mwambura County operations are headed for paralysis as from next Tuesday with workers vowing to down tools over unpaid salaries and wages. Patients will be among the worst hit with doctors and nurses set to join the industrial action in a move that comes amid a revenue allocation impasse between the national and County governments after MPs and Senators failed to agree on a bill that allocates revenue between the two levels of government. Yesterday, a conglomerate of public sector trade unions issued a seven-day ultimatum to county governments to pay workers or face total service paralysis. “It is a basic right for workers to be paid their wages. Workers are not party to the division of revenue dispute, hence any delay is illegal and unacceptable,” said Kenya County Government Workers Union secretary general Roba Duba. And as the impasse showed no signs of being brought to conclusion, Kakamega county boss and Council of Governors chair Wycliffe Oparanya sent 143 revenue staff on a 60-day compulsory leave over “unmet collection targets”. Plug shortfall Oparanya defended the move, asserting that it is meant to plug a Sh600 million shortfall in the counties’ revenue collection and tasked his deputy Philip Kutima, county executives and chief officers to mobilise revenue collection in the 13 sub-counties within a month to ensure set targets are met. “Counties can no longer continue depending on shareable revenue and there is need for them to come up with measures to improve own revenue collection to ensure services are not disrupted,” he said, adding that the county had the potential of raising over Sh1 billion but was falling short of target due to impropriety of revenue officers. He said the standoff between the Senate and National Assembly on the amount of shareable revenue for the counties has negatively affected service delivery and implementation of programmes in the devolved units. Oparanya absolved the governors from blame and instead pointed the finger at the National Assembly and the National Treasury. “Is there any greater right in this nation than the right to health services, clean drinking water, to a clean environment, inter alia, for a citizen? Operations in counties are almost grinding to a halt yet the National government and the MPs have simply decided to look the other way in order not to see the reality, ” he said. Reject offer “We have tried all means and nobody seems to be listening to our cries. What do the unions want the governors to do? We cannot be so insensitive to the desires of our citizens who voted for devolution,” Oparanya added. But even as governors pitched their claim, it emerged that National Treasury has expressed willingness to release cash to counties to meet recurrent expenditure but the offer was rejected. “We have been told that the Treasury is willing to give them cash for recurrent expenditure but governors have declined,” said Duba. Governors Alex Tolgos (Elgeyo Marakwet), James Ongwae (Kisii), John Nyagarama (Nyamira), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Patrick Khaemba (Trans Nzoia), Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) are among governors said to have already informed their workers to tighten their belts as the cash crunch started to bite in earnest. In Nairobi, Roba vowed to instigate a salaries parade in all the 47 counties starting next week on Tuesday until county governments pay their staff. Grant demand “All county workers will go on strike, including drivers of the governors until they remit salaries. How do they expect the staff to pay rent and transport when they haven’t been paid?” he posed. The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union secretary general Ouma Oluga urged governors to take the notice seriously, to avoid paralysis of crucial services in their respective counties. “This is not a collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) issue or push for a salary increment, we just want workers to be paid,” he said, sentiments that were echoed by Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) secretary general Seth Panyako. The Council of Governors and Senators have vowed not back down on their bid to push for extra Sh19 billion on top of Sh316 billion the National Assembly approved. “Our position is that if we have to provide the services that we are supposed to, Sh335 billion is a comfortable figure. We must be funded, whatever happens,” Oparanya had said in a past press conference. “During the inaugural county government, we had the Pesa Mashinani Initiative that failed. But this time round, we will roll out the Ugatuzi Initiative to seek amendments to the Constitution.” But as parties to the dispute dug in, President Uhuru Kenyatta last week declared that the National government does not have money to grant their demand for Sh335 billion, adding that any extra money would only be available if salaries, including that of legislators was reduced. Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko urged his colleagues to take up what the government had availed, and said he would pay salaries. This has not been confirmed. According to section 17(1) of the Employment Act 2007, non-payment of salaries constitutes serious violation of the law.

County operations threatened as staff vow to down tools

Latest News

Perfecting filmwork, one story after another

Endorsement by Mt Kenya Foundation will not change Raila – Raila Jr says

PNU, Ubuntu to sign first pre-election deal with ODM during Raila’s Azimio la Umoja event

Mt Kenya Foundation finally picks Raila Odinga for presidency

Mt Kenya tycoons holed up in meeting with Raila Odinga

Serve with courage, integrity and discipline – President Kenyatta tasks new GSU officers

Six Mount Kenya governors confirm their attendance to Raila’s Azimio La Umoja Convention

More on National

Regional MPs root for mangroves conservation

Serve with courage, integrity and discipline – President Kenyatta tasks new GSU officers

How to make guarantor system work for Saccos

Bungoma activist ordered to produce children in court

Follow us:

County operations threatened as staff vow to down tools

Latest News

More on National

Every morning, our editors cut through the noise and send a digest of the day's top news. Subscribe here to get the digest and a free copy of our e-paper