The County Government of Siaya, under the leadership of Governor James Orengo, has taken bold steps to end the ongoing health sector stalemate that has crippled operations in public hospitals across the county.
In a decisive meeting held at the Governor’s Office Friday night, Orengo convened top Health Sector Union Officials led by KUCO National Chairman Peterson Mwaniki, Secretary General George Gibore, Branch Chairman Collins Kisero, and regional representatives led by Aran Caren, alongside officials from KMPDU, KNUN, and KNUMLO.
The outcome of the meeting was the formation of a Joint Committee that will document all grievances raised by union officials and develop a comprehensive framework to resolve them. The committee, which begins its work immediately, will sit for two weeks and is expected to craft a Formula to restore normalcy in Siaya’s health facilities.
On the County Government’s side, the committee will comprise representatives from the CEC Governance, ICT and Administration, CEC Health, Chief Officer Health, Finance Director or CEC Finance, County Attorney, and the County Public Service Board, which will be represented through its Chief Executive Officer.
Governor Orengo reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transparent engagement and collaborative problem-solving, noting that dialogue — not confrontation — remains the best path forward.
“Our focus is to restore health services through cooperation and mutual trust. Siaya residents deserve uninterrupted healthcare, and my administration is determined to achieve that through fairness and respect,” the Governor stated.
The county’s major health facilities have been operating below capacity due to the ongoing strike by nurses, midwives, laboratory technicians, and other cadres, leaving patients to endure long waits or seek services in private facilities.
Meanwhile, beginning Friday, Governor Orengo has undertaken to personally interrogate the employment fiasco surrounding 382 allegedly irregularly hired health workers whose services were recently terminated. The Governor said the review would ensure that justice and due process prevail, and that any legitimate workers are treated fairly in accordance with employment law and public service regulations.
The meeting was attended by County Secretary and Head of Public Service Joseph Ogutu, CEC Health Dr. Martin Konyango, CEC Governance, ICT and Administration Agunda Ochanda, acting County Attorney Leonard Okanda, senior Finance officers, and union representatives — a demonstration of the administration’s whole-of-government approach to resolving the crisis.
Union officials lauded the Governor’s conciliatory stance, describing it as a sign of leadership focused on lasting solutions rather than blame games. They expressed optimism that the new committee would ensure accountability and a structured roadmap for implementation of agreements reached.
With the joint committee commencing work immediately and the Governor’s personal intervention in the employment matter, there is renewed optimism that the health sector standoff will soon be resolved — restoring essential services and reaffirming Governor Orengo’s reputation as a leader committed to fairness, dialogue, and decisive action.
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