Tensions erupted at Siaya County Finance Office on Tuesday as nurses staged a protest over delayed February salaries, accusing the county administration of repeatedly failing to honor agreed payment timelines.
The demonstration was led by officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), who demanded immediate payment, describing the delays as “perennial” and a significant hindrance to their ability to meet personal and professional obligations.
Branch Secretary Kennedy Hamisi said that nurses had been promised their salaries by last week, but payments had yet to be reflected in their bank accounts. He warned that staff would not resume duties until the salaries were processed.
“This issue of salary delays is becoming perennial. We are urging our employer to consider processing salaries on time,” Hamisi said.
KNUN Siaya branch chairman Denis Onyango Omolo described the situation as “cancerous,” claiming that delays had become a monthly occurrence and raising concerns that they might be deliberate.
“Somebody is not doing the right thing at the right time,” Omolo said.
Emphasizing that delayed salaries were affecting service delivery. He noted that many nurses relied on salary advances and loans, leaving them with little disposable income, which he said compromised the quality of healthcare services provided to the community.
The union also accused the county government of failing to honor previous agreements that salaries would be disbursed by the 30th of each month or, at the latest, by the 5th of the following month.
Nurses stated that they would await official communication from the finance department before deciding on the next course of action, leaving the situation unresolved as pressure mounts on the county administration to address the ongoing payroll issues.
