Garissa health workers go on strike after county fails to address grievances
The health workers had in November 2024 called off a planned strike after union leaders signed an agreement with Garissa Governor Nathif Jama.
Health workers in Garissa have on Monday gone on strike after the county government failed to honour their return-to-work formula.
The health workers had in November 2024 called off a planned strike after union leaders signed an agreement with Garissa Governor Nathif Jama who promised to address their grievances within 90 days.
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Waving placards, the health workers led by their union leaders held a peaceful procession from the Garissa County Referral Hospital to the county government headquarters where they demanded to be addressed by the governor who did not show up.
Speaking to journalists, Diriye Ismail, the chairperson of the Garissa branch Nurses Association, said they have endured prolonged poor working conditions and failed promises, prompting them to down their tools.
"The healthcare sector in Garissa County is today in crisis after we have mobilised all our members for a strike. Three months ago, we planned for a strike together with other health workers but we called it off after signing a return to formula with Garissa governor. The pledges were never honoured; we feel betrayed and now we have decided to go back to the streets to demand our rights," he said.
Promises
Diriye said the governor promised to address the lack of promotions, lack of redesignation for those who completed higher education, denial of leave allowance, and lack of medical cover and uniform allowances.
"The 90-day return-to-work agreement signed by the governor and all union officials elapsed. None of the pledges was honoured," he said.
Lawi Mwagome, the Garissa branch secretary for laboratory officers, said they have decided to paralyse the health services until their demands are met.
"How do you expect to work when you are demoralised? It's now 10 years that we are working under poor conditions and no change," he said.
He said the county government recently engaged a firm to offer medical cover for the health workers but, surprisingly, only those in job group P and above were benefiting from the health cover, discriminating a larger cadre of the health workers who were below that job group.
Hassan Sheikh Abdullahi, a clinical officer, stated that patients seeking a host of critical services were suffering due to negligence by the county government.
"We have suffered a lot looking at the interest of the patients suffering whenever health workers countrywide down their tools. When our colleagues countrywide announced a strike, we continued serving expecting things would change. Our patience has been taken for granted and now we have decided to go on strike until the pledge is honoured," he said.
He said they have been working in poor conditions for long.
"The strike is the only option; this is what the government understands. We have been pushed to the wall and we are not going to listen to pledges anymore," he said.
Workers employed by the National government under the provision of Universal health care services also joined the strike.
"We are equally affected by the poor working terms. We have now joined our colleagues in the other parts of the country to demand better salaries," says Mohamed Abdi.
The county government has yet to give an official statement on the strike.
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