By GASTONE VALUSI
Machakos County workers have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the county government to settle delayed salaries and other employment grievances, warning they will stage a county-wide Salary Parade on Tuesday if their demands are not met.
The notice, issued on Sunday, September 21, by the Machakos County Workers’ Union Caucus and received by the offices of the Governor, County Secretary, Finance, Health and Public Service, gives the county government until 5pm on Monday to pay all outstanding salaries and verified arrears.
The unions are also demanding payment of salaries owed to staff recruited from 2023 to date who they say have yet to be properly captured on the payroll.
They have further called for the remittance of all outstanding third-party deductions and the updating of statutory and pension accounts.
The caucus brings together nurses, clinical officers, medical laboratory officers, environmental health officers, doctors, nutritionists, pharmaceutical technologists and general county workers.
Among their other demands is the immediate activation of medical insurance covers to ensure all eligible employees have access to the scheme.
The workers are also calling for regular and timely payment of salaries by the fifth day of every month, regularisation of the payroll for legally recruited staff and a clear, time-bound schedule for settling any outstanding dues that cannot be paid immediately.
They have also demanded regular and transparent communication from the county government on the implementation of the agreed measures.
According to the notice, the Salary Parade will begin at 9am on Tuesday, September 22, at the county headquarters and other designated departmental head offices.
The unions said the demonstration would be peaceful and lawful and would provide employees with a collective platform to air their grievances over what they described as financial strain caused by delayed salaries.
They claimed some workers were struggling to meet basic obligations, including transport costs to work, despite continuing to report for duty.
The unions cited Article 41 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair labour practices, and Section 17 of the Employment Act concerning payment for work performed.
They further cited decisions of the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which they said have affirmed that persistent failure to pay salaries constitutes a fundamental breach of an employment contract.
The workers warned that if the county government fails to take satisfactory action or provide a credible commitment by the deadline, the Salary Parade will continue for seven days.
They said they would thereafter issue a formal strike notice and consider other lawful and peaceful measures to pursue settlement of the outstanding obligations.
The joint notice was signed by officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, County Government Workers Union-Kenya, Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers, Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Kenya Union of Nutritionists and Dieticians and Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists.
Copies of the notice were sent to Governor Wavinya Ndeti, county executives responsible for finance and health, the County Public Service Board and labour officials.
The ultimatum comes as the county government continues to operate on a 50 per cent vote-on-account authorised by the Controller of Budget pending approval of the 2025/2026 budget.
