Nurses are now demanding an apology from Attorney General Justin Muturi and the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education over remarks that Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH) should not be managed by a nurse.
Nurses in a joint statement further threatened to take drastic measures including going on strike should the current CEO Ahmed Dagane be ousted from office.
This comes after the committee led by Bumula MP Wamboka Wanami on Wednesday said that Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital is headed by an ‘unqualified person’.
"We are putting you on notice. I want to ask my friend Wanami, please withdraw that statement and apologize to our profession and admit that you made that statement out of ignorance" Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General Seth Panyako said.
"We will close all hospitals if you ever dare touch Dagane. We will defend this profession by our blood. Personally, I am ready to take the bullet because if you touch a nurse you are touching Panyako."
The committee members of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education put KUTRRH board chairperson Olive Mugenda on the spot for allegedly allowing an 'unqualified' person to run the facility.
They censured Mugenda for breaking the law as the CEO of the hospital, Dagane, is not trained as a doctor.
The President National Nurses Association of Kenya Collins Otieno said the committee failed to recognize the exemplary work Dagane had done at KUTRRH adding that attempts to oust Dagane should bear in mind that it is not just doctors who possess administrative skills to manage referral hospitals.
"Attempts to preserve posts in the health sector for one cadre is unreasonable, unnecessary, and unjustifiable. As nurses and midwives of this country, Dagane has competently led KUTRRH in the provision of high-quality healthcare," Otieno said.
Mugenda has maintained that the appointment of Dagane as CEO had been undertaken procedurally.
Speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, Mugenda dismissed the public notion that individuals with a Nursing background or health-related degrees cannot run such an institution.
She said Dagane had landed the role due to his professional qualifications and experience.
Mugenda said KUTRRH is an equal opportunity employer and operates strictly within the confines of the Constitution and related legal provisions.
“Dagane is a qualified and experienced Clinical Professional with a background in Nursing and holds postgraduate Master in Business Administration Qualifications,” Mugenda said.
She said that several rulings had been rendered by various courts confirming that qualified candidates cannot be blocked from serving in such leadership positions based on subsidiary legal schedules.