NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 17- The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) has castigated Senators for the continued crisis over a suitable revenue sharing formula, that has left to counties staff going without pay for months.
It is a quagmire that has led to the Council of Governors move to ask county employees to proceed on a 14-day leave, with non-essential services suspended over budgetary constraints.
To end this, the Union Secretary General Seth Panyako on Thursday asked the Senate to show leadership and end the suffering for county workers particularly now that President Uhuru Kenyatta has committed to raise next financial year’s shareable revenue by Sh50 billion.
“I am ashamed indeed to be a Kenyan today because we have people in leadership, who do not care,” he said.
In the future, he said, there is need for a Health Service Commission that will among others deal with health workers’ salaries to avoid such a crisis.
“The poor Kenyans must have someone to speak for them,” he asserted. “The Senate has the last chance next week.”
Counties are yet to receive their equitable share of the revenue for three months into the current Financial Year 2020/2021.
Council of Governor Chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya on Wednesday said the delay in the release of funds has had serious implications in the general operations of county governments and payment of salaries to county staff.