Kilifi clinical officers end four-day strike after deal with county

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) in Kilifi has called off its strike that disrupted healthcare services across the county for the last four days.

This is after they held a fruitful negotiation with the health executive committee member Peter Mwarogo and chairman of the public service board Albert Muturi.

KUCO called for the strike over salary delays, stalled promotions, and inadequate medical cover, among other grievances.

They also pushed for the implementation of the career guidelines document signed last year as well as addressing the shortage of clinical officers in county hospitals.

KUCO, led by Kilifi branch chairman Joshua Shoka, said they have given the county government until 30th June to implement the signed agreement.

KUCO had also initially argued that many clinicians were working under contracts without being converted to permanent and pensionable terms, and their medical insurance was ineffective, forcing them to pay out of pocket for medical expenses.

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The strike had left many locals without access to critical healthcare services, forcing them to seek costly private treatment.

Kilifi County spokesperson Jonathan Mativo confirmed that an agreement had been reached, allowing clinical officers to return to work.

''An agreement and a subsequent return-to-work formula to end the strike were signed today between the county government and the union's leadership,'' said Mativo.

He added: "The core outcome of this agreement is the immediate resumption of duties by all clinical officers across all the public facilities in the county." 

Mativo said the county government was committed to addressing concerns raised by the clinical officers to ensure that the healthcare services are not disrupted.