By MN Reporter

Migori county clinical officers have vowed to join their national colleagues in nationwide strike slotted for November 1.

In a terse press statement, the officers led by Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) national and Migori branch officials, they vowed to paralyse operation in all public hospitals in the county.

KUCO national deputy secretary Austin Oduor said over 7,000 clinical officers in Kenya and 200 in Migori will take part in the strike and “organise major sit-ins until our issues as a union are resolves.”

Maureen Maramba, Migori branch secretary said their biggest issue are interns who work for long hours without any pay “with some holding up rural hospitals up without pay. Our strike will give a human face to their plight.”

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Chris Onditi, Migori branch chairman said their demands will help benefit Kenyans as at long last it will help in improving health care services in public hospitals.

“We have an acute shortage of clinical officers in the country who have been filing up for the huge shortage of doctors in the country, we need these addressed in better remunerations,” Onditi said.

“We are humans, we have families to take care of and for us to remain unpaid for over six months while working in facilities is sad. The issue revolving around our pay, despite allocation being made, has been a circus which we hope the strike will tackle,” Joash Wasonga, Chairman of intern clinical officers at Kisii Referral Hospital said.

Negotiations held in 2017 between parties agreed on revision of the scheme of work among clinical officers which is yet to be actualized including a Collective Bargaining Agreement which is yet to be tabled in court and government to unlock pending promotions and salary increment.