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The workers littered streets in the coastal resort as they protested/XINHUA-File

Kenya

Joho backs down, reinstates workers he fired

The workers littered streets in the coastal resort as they protested/XINHUA-File

The workers littered streets in the coastal resort as they protested/XINHUA-File

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 6 – Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has bowed to pressure and reversed his decision to sack over 1,000 striking workers.

Joho says he has directed the workers to report to their various stations on Monday after he held consultations over the issue.

The governor however said six employees who were arraigned in court on Friday for littering the town’s streets should not resume work until their cases are finalised in court.

He says the workers have been paid their outstanding salaries.

“We need to remind each other that strike was their right… we have quarrelled about it and they should on Monday return to work,” Joho told journalists after the Safaricom Diabetes walk in Mombasa on Saturday.

According to Joho, the county had financial hitches after the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) froze their account over debts which were inherited from the defunct Mombasa Municipal council, but KRA has since given the access to the accounts after they paid Sh5 million.

He added that KRA gave them access to the account on Friday morning and the salaries for the staff were already disbursed to their accounts.

“For the next five years, we believe that we will be able pay workers on the 28th of every month to avoid any inconveniences,” said Joho.

He said the county government was committed to streamlining payment of salaries hence the decision to pay workers through individual bank accounts and not through the Jitegemee Sacco, formerly used by the council.

On Thursday this week, Joho announced the sacking of 1,059 county workers who downed their tools over delayed two months salaries amounting to over Sh400 million.

The staff included 395 from environment, 244 from public health, 157 from social services, 263 from engineering and town planning and two from Town Clerk’s office who had not reported to work since Tuesday.

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The workers on Wednesday staged demonstrations in the coastal city, littering streets and later set ablaze a coffin outside the county offices at the Treasury Square.

The biggest challenge facing the county and others across the country is the huge number of debts that were transferred from local governments.

The Mombasa County inherited a Sh3 billion debt from the defunct Mombasa Municipal Council.

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