The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has condemned the government for its heavy-handed response as their strike commences. KUCO Secretary General George Gibore highlighted that the government has remained unresponsive to their concerns, including claims of discrimination by the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the exclusion of clinical officer-operated facilities from being empaneled.
Gibore pointed out the significant challenges in the sector, noting that the union has staged over 100 strikes since the onset of devolution, yet none have produced meaningful outcomes. “We are being subjected to unlawful practices as clinical officers, and that is why we are refusing to comply,” he stated during a press briefing.
KUCO National Treasurer Mary Boniface echoed these sentiments, criticizing the government’s lack of engagement and warning of the potential risks to patients’ access to healthcare under SHA. “We have held meetings with the former SHA chairman and submitted petitions, even to the presidency, but we have received no response. It seems there is no commitment to addressing this issue,” she asserted.
Boniface further emphasized the urgency of resolving these grievances to prevent a healthcare crisis. Both officials called for immediate government action to mitigate the strike’s impact on the nation’s healthcare system.