4 governors suffer setback after today's High Court ruling

juma chrispinus

November 1, 2017 12:40 PM

The new move is set to anger governors.

The Labour Relations court on Wednesday stopped over four governors from sacking striking nurses.

Machakos, Laikipia, Taita Taveta & Muranga governors have been ordered to stop intimidating nurses who are strike, who are strike on guise of orders by the Kenyan Nation Union of Nurses.

Machakos Governor Dr Alfred Mutua, Laikipia’s Nderitu Muriithi, Taita Taveta’s Granton Samboja and Muranga’s Mwangi wa Iria were ordered to stop sacking the nurses who had not resumed work even before the nurses strike was called off.

Dr Mutua mulled at sacking over 1000 nurses who had paralysed services in hospitals in his county.

"I am pleading with the nurses to resume duty immediately to save lives of suffering residents," Dr Mutua had told journalists.

On his part, Murang’a’s Wa Iria was accused by nurses of abetting over Sh150 million meant for nurses, extending the stalemate.

Earlier, other counties had indicated that they will advertise nurses posts but are yet to give information on the fate of the striking ones.

While some governors were planning to advertise nurses positions, others, including Tharaka-Nithi’s Muthomi Njuki, opposed the sacking directive from the Council of Governors.

The council of Governors led by Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok threatened to axe striking nurses were to be sacked by their respective counties for failing to resume work.

Chairman Josphat Nanok said that the council had directed the respective governors to take action against them as the strike had been declared illegal by the courts.

Nanok said that the counties were free to advertise for new applicants to replace those who had not reported to work after the September 8 date they provided for them to resume their duties.

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