Tear gas as KNH workers protest delayed allowances

Workers at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Monday staged a protest over delayed payment of their health service allowances.

Police officers deployed to the scene were forced to lob tear gas canisters and disperse the striking workers.

In a prior letter to the management of the hospital signed by Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) Secretary General Albert Njeru, the over 4700 workers had warned of a strike “if there will be no money by August 5.”

The said allowances were reportedly recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in March 2015 but are yet to be implemented to date.

“Patients are not like any other customers. They need care. But we also need our money which was to be paid in 2015,” added the letter dated July 16, 2018.