Nairobi County Staff Down Tools Over Delayed Salaries

Nairobi City County staff on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, downed their tools over delayed salaries, promotions and lack of medical cover.

In a statment on October 8, the county workers notified that they would go on strike over the failure to implement the 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) argued that the capital had become notorious in perennial salary delays, and failure to remit statutory deductions.

Nairobi City County employees go on strike on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. |Courtesy| Twitter|

Nairobi branch secretary, Benson Olianga, revealed that over 12,496 workers have not had their medical covers since July.

Olianga argued that the delay contravenes the Employment Act 2007 and the registered 2013 CBA.

“Due to non-compliance and willful failure on your part to address these grievances, the union hereby Invokes Section 18 of the Employment Act 2007 to parade members of City Hall beginning Wednesday, October 13, at 8am,” the strike notice read in part.

The County 47 employees further decried that they had not received overtime allowances, uniform allowances, benefits for retiring workers, personal protective equipment, and uniforms for other employees.

Olianga stated that the workers also require that security personel be remunerated for cumulative off days.

“The above matter was agreed upon following a joint branch executive committee (BEC) meeting of the Kenya County Government Workers Union Nairobi staff branch and Nairobi city branch held on September 28, where the BEC unanimously agreed to hold a parade on the stated grounds,” the statement read.

Insurance firm AAR in May this year, suspended medical cover for over 12,000 county workers after Governor Ann Kananu's government failed to clear an outstanding premium of Ksh259.9 million.