Fredrick Odiero, Kenya Times, December 6, 2005

The Director of Medical Services, Dr James Nyikal yesterday ruled out the possibility of the government retaining nurses who were recruited to serve when civil servants went on strike.

Dr Nyikal said that the government has no funds to employ the thousands of nurses who were contracted to serve during the strike.

He said the government will only pay the nurses for the time they served when some nurses were sacked for participating in the strike. ... Govt

Mike Mwaniki, Daily Nation, December 5, 2005

The controversy over sacked nurses has put the Health ministry under sharp focus.

Sources at the Office of the President told the Nation that the decision to employ the now sacked health workers was reached following a Cabinet meeting.

"However, officials at the ministry appear to have failed to follow-up the issue with the Directorate of Personnel Management (DPM) and the Treasury to regularise the workers' employment," said an official at DPM. ... Pressure

Joseph Akwiri, Kakamega, Daily Nation, December 2, 2005

Health permanent secretary Zachary Ogongo's move to sack the recently recruited nurses is absurd. It is even more unfortunate that they are being dismissed without pay.

Reinstating the previously dismissed health workers should not be cause for frustrating these innocent professionals. Even with the two lots combined, the health sector still suffers an acute staff shortage. ... Sacking

Bob Odalo, Daily Nation, December 2, 2005

Sacked health workers yesterday accused the Government of double standards.

The nurses and clinical officers, who were working at the Makueni district hospital, said they did not understand how some of them were being retained and the bulk fired while they had been hired at the same time.

"Some of our colleagues employed at that time are not affected and we just wonder how they were confirmed and have been receiving salaries for the last four months," said spokesperson Stephen Kimengo. ... Sacked

Mike Mwaniki, Daily Nation, November 30, 2005

The more than 1,000 sacked health workers yesterday appealed to President Kibaki to rescind the decision.

The workers - employed six months ago to replace striking civil servants - accused the Health ministry of being insensitive to their plight even though they had provided service without pay since being hired.

The 1,612 workers, mostly nurses and clinical officers, were sacked by a November 18 circular signed by permanent secretary Zachary Ogongo. ... Sacked

Daily Nation Editorial, November 30, 2005

This is callousness beyond compare - the kind of action that is making the Government lose popularity.

Six months ago, the Government hired more than 1,000 health workers to replace nurses and clinical workers who had been sacked after striking. ... On November 18, new Health permanent secretary Zachary Ogongo sacked the 1,612, replacements, some of whom have not been paid a cent since they were hired. ... Health

Kenya Times Editorial, November 30, 2005

President Mwai Kibaki by now should have pretty clear idea of who his real political enemies are. And what is more, why their numbers appear to be burgeoning.

And contrary to a now common myth, these people are not necessarily all fire breathing Orangists. ... There is another breed. Last week for example, the president’s enemies surfaced again at both the ministry of health and the directorate of personnel management when they dispatched home 1,200 nurses recruited only last July. The sacking was done in a most heartless manner. ... Nurses

Mike Mwaniki & Angwenyi Gichana, Daily Nation, November 29, 2005

Hundreds of health workers who were employed to replace striking civil servants six months ago have now been sacked.

The services of the 1,200 workers, mostly nurses and clinical officers, were terminated in a circular by Health permanent secretary Zachary Ogongo.

And yesterday, the nurses umbrella organisation called on the Government to stop the termination.

The National Nurses Association of Kenya chairman, Mr Luke Simba, appealed to President Kibaki to rescind Mr Ogongo's decision. ... 1,200

Kenya Times, November 10, 2005

The New Nyanza Provincial General Hospital has been plunged into a serious crisis following the suspension of 98 Nurses who participated in a civil servants’ strike.

Hospital board chairman Shakeel Ahmed, yesterday said the institution had been forced to close down some wards. Speaking in Kisumu, Ahmed, a former Kisumu Mayor, said the Ministry of health should move in and address the situation.

He said the shortfall of nurses was taking a toll on the performance of the institution, which is the only referral hospital in Nyanza province. ... Crisis

Otsieno Namwaya, The Standard, October 2, 2005

About 1,200 nurses employed in June to stand in for six months for their colleagues participating in the civil servants strike could complete their term in December without pay.

This is because the Health and Finance ministries cannot agree on whether they should be paid.

The stand-off has also hampered the reinstatement of about 600 nurses suspended because of the strike.

The civil servants strike last June, coming only weeks after the one for nurses to push for better pay, is a perennial problem that has been at the heart of brain drain in the sector. ... Riddle

Biketi Kikechi, The Standard, August 19, 2005

Private health workers are among the best paid in the country, although highest paid doctors earn much less than matrons.

A survey by audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers indicates that the highest paid matron earns Sh654,693, while a doctor/medical officer gets Sh513,584.

The discrepancy grows wider after taxation, with the matron getting Sh502,503 and the doctor Sh395,422.

Typical matrons featured were hospital matrons who report either to the hospital administrator or the chief executive. ... Irony

Lucas Barasa, The Nation, August 9, 2005

Nairobi - The Government will employ 2, 210 nurses to reduce a national shortage.

Health minister Charity Ngilu yesterday said President Kibaki had endorsed the plan and that recruitment had started.

She said more nurses would be employed and posted in November when the trainees, now on internship, graduate.

Speaking at State House, Nairobi, when President Kibaki launched a multi-million-shilling mobile health clinic for Bondo's Rarieda and Mandiani divisions, Ms Ngilu said hiring letters would be posted immediately. ... 2,210