Public service CS Moses Kuria on Wednesday left delegates in stitches after he said he will use his skills as a 'certified dowry negotiator' to ensure constructive dialogue between healthcare unions and the government.
Kuria who was speaking at the Pre-Mashujaa day conference in Kericho called on the unions to embrace dialogue to iron out issues affecting the sector.
He said the interests of the patients should be at the forefront even as the unions and the government engage in dialogue.
Kuria, who had been invited as a guest speaker during the third day of the Universal Health Coverage week said he had been uncomfortable when his health counterpart Susan Nakhumicha extended the invite to him.
He said he had even questioned if the event will not be a fight with the unions which are known to be firm in agitating for the welfare of their members.
“I'm delighted when I saw my friend Wachira here very calm, before I came I was doing some press-ups. I only came because I was told Panyako is away,” Kuria said.
Peterson Wachira is the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) national chairperson while Seth Panyako is the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary-General.
Kuria acknowledged that the work done by the healthcare workers was commendable, but said their job is a calling hence the need to stay on the trajectory of constructive and positive engagement to find lasting solutions to their issues.
“As your minister I want to offer myself, I think I have got some few skills there in trying to achieve some consensus,” the CS said.
“I am a certified dowry negotiator and I can be able to assist you with some of the experiences to ensure that our CBA remains on course and to ensure that ultimately we do what is good for everybody but essentially we do what is good for the people of this country first,” he added.
Kuria noted that he was aware issues to do with the Collective Bargaining Agreements were still pending and pledged to ensure the issue is amicably resolved going forward.