- If it materialises, the strike could lead to the first major shutdown of services at the facility since it was opened in September, 2020
- The nurses also wants KUTRRH facility to negotiate and sign a collective bargaining agreement with their union
Image: FILE
Nurses at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital have announced a strike to commence on September 30.
This is the first time an industrial action threatens to cripple services at the facility since it was opened in September 2020.
The nurses complained they are understaffed, overworked and that the hospital has failed to pay them uniform allowances, including arrears designated by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
The KUTRRH is Kenya’s third-biggest national referral hospital.
Seth Panyako, the secretary general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses said they have engaged the hospital management without any breakthrough.
“Union demands that the above stated issues be addressed within 21 days, failure to which all nurses in your hospital will commence a strike on September 30, 2024 at 1am and will remain on strike until the above issues are addressed,” he said in a notice to the CEO Ahmed Dagane.
KNUN issued the strike notice on September 9, giving the hospital 21 days to address its members’ nine grievances.
“We are however open for dialogue and are committed to a cordial working relationship,” Panyako said.
The union called for a reduction of working hours to 35.5 hours a week, with a maximum of 40 hours.
It asked the hospital to hire an additional 800 nurses and demanded that those working on contract be hired on permanent terms.
Proper placement of nurses into the correct job groups and payment of any accrued arrears were among grievances raised.
The union also called for the promotion of nurses who are due and payment of uniform arrears.
KUTRRH should also negotiate and sign a collective bargaining agreement with their union.
Nurses also want the KUTRRH human resource policy implemented and the appointment of a substantive director of nursing services.
The directorate is headed by Jackline Tindi on an acting basis, although the hospital advertised the post in March.
The facility is run by a CEO and a board of management chaired by Prof Olive Mugenda, whose second term lapses in April next year.
Ahmed Dagane, a nurse, was appointed the CEO in July 2022.
He did not respond to calls from the Star but his office confirmed receiving the strike notice on September 10.
Nurses complained of “persistent high handedness” from their leadership, saying they are not given a chance to defend themselves.
The hospital is also facing troubling grievances from other workers, including doctors.
Last week, Dr Vincent Oyiengo of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union and Justin Kinoti of KNUN’s KUTRRH chapter, petitioned the CEO to form a committee to find solutions.
Most of the issues they raised are similar to the KNUN grievances.
The doctors also took issue with the hierarchy.
“It must be made clear from the outset that doctors cannot report to the nurses, be they nurses-in-charge or the nurse covering as it is currently forced to happen in KUTRRH. Each directorate has specific roles to play. They can only complement each other,” reads the petition seen by the Star.
The CEO's office has not formally received the petition.
They are also denied the opportunity to go for further studies.
“If a rumour is heard about you pursuing a course that would make you a better employee, threats visit you daily that one stops to perform their duty due to the fear of the unknown,” Kinoti and Oyiengo said.
The medics also demanded the establishment of a doctors plaza, where they could treat patients privately.
“In doing so, the hospital will be able to generate more revenue and also meet the needs of diverse Kenyans,” they said.
A fully equipped doctors’ lounge in every department should be established “for ease of operation, consultation among peers while at the same time staying closer to the patients for round-the-clock reviews and attending to emergencies”.
The employees further said when they fall sick, they do not want to be treated alongside the hospital's patients.
They demanded a “functional staff clinic that accords them timely reviews and treatments away from the general public to accord them privacy when taken ill or their families”.