Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir has issued appointment letters to 286 newly recruited nurses in the county, in an event marking a milestone for the county’s healthcare workforce.
The appointments come weeks after a nationwide nurses’ strike that had disrupted services at public hospitals across the country, including Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, Port Reitz Hospital and Likoni Sub-County Hospital.
The industrial action was suspended after Justice Monica Mbaru of the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Mombasa, ruling on a petition brought by Mombasa County, issued orders on August 5 declaring the strike unlawful and directing members of the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) to resume duty.
Nassir said nurses who had taken part in the strike would not be victimised, and directed the County Health Staff Management to work out compensation for colleagues who stayed on duty and put in extra hours during the disruption.
He further pledged timely salary payments, promotions and clear career progression pathways for the newly appointed nurses.
Responding to claims of tribal bias in the recruitment process, the Governor pointed to the ethnic diversity of the nurses present at the ceremony as evidence against the allegations.
“We were created in different tribes for no other reason other than to know each other,” Nassir said.
Among new policies he outlined were county payment of Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) costs for patients admitted at Level 4 and 5 hospitals, an 85 per cent health cover for health professionals recruited on contract between 2019 and 2020 under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, and free treatment for children alongside free food for pregnant women.
He also announced plans to increase the number of doctors within the county by the end of his tenure, and to convert the employment terms of UHC nurses into permanent and pensionable.
“We will collaborate and make all efforts necessary to have a healthy relationship with healthcare professionals, to avoid a situation where they go on strike, yet their issues have nothing to do with Mombasa County,” Nassir said.
