Medical unions led by Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) and Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) in Machakos County have suspended a strike that was scheduled to start on Monday, July 17, 2023.

Led by KMPDU lower Eastern region chair Charles Okumu, the union leaders suspended the strike until Friday, July 21, after a meeting with the county leadership.

"We have decided as health unions to suspend our strike for seven days from today. We are suspending the strike until Friday, July 21st 2023," Okumu said.

Okumu said the county government had offered to promote a total of 422 health workers by the end of the seven days.

"The county public service board has also committed to issuing the same promotion letters to 422 health care workers as contained in a submitted list that we looked at all over us and this must be by Friday, July 21, 2023’ Okumu said

Okumu said that have a total of 421 and another total of 600 plus health workers that the county government has committed to consider once this agreement is fulfilled.

The Machakos County government has committed to effect new rates of payment for those who are going to be promoted as from July 1, 2023, and their arrears settled in a period of six months.

Speaking after a meeting with the union leaders, Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti, assured that the medical will have their promotion letters by July 21.

"We have agreed that as I give them their promotion letters they also give me a report on what I need to do to ensure we improve our health facilities," the governor said.

Governor Wavinya also said that they agreed to form committees with the management and the doctors, to look at the state of the hospitals to ensure there is a conducive environment for both health workers and patients.

"We are going to set committees with the management and the doctors to look at the level 5 status first then to level 4, 3 and lastly level 2 hospitals," she added.

She has also said that they will be providing a pay bill number for the hospitals to ensure the hospital money is used strictly in health matters.

"The department of health shall be allocated several pay bill numbers which shall be in the system to ensure efficiency, streamline and increase revenue collection," Wavinya said.

The county chief also noted that her government is putting up a new patient management system, whereby patient records will be recorded and stored in computers for easy access by other departments in the hospital like pharmacists.

The patient management system implementation will start at level 5 hospital before being rolled out to other facilities in the county.

The county boss also issued a stern warning to the health department led by Daniel Yumbya, threatening to crack the whip on officers found misappropriating county funds.

"I am telling you Dr Yumbya and your Chief Executive officers, if anyone is caught misusing money allocated to the health ministry I will jail them," she warned.

She has also assured the other county staff that she has directed the Machakos County Public Service Board to promote deserving employees as well as review their salaries.