Governor Cornered After 20 Nurses Attacked By Goons During Protests

The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) has accused Siaya Governor James Orengo of hiring goons to attack striking nurses, leaving more than 20 medics injured.

Union officials, speaking on Wednesday, October 1, slammed the county boss for what they called an “unlawful, unconstitutional, and violent” response to the strike, now on its 19th day.

The violence broke out on Tuesday, September 30, when nurses protesting outside the Siaya county offices were blocked from entry and then attacked by armed assailants. 

One nurse suffered a broken arm that had to be set in plaster, while others were treated for multiple injuries.

Siaya Governor James Orengo speaking during the Devolution Conference on August 14, 2025. /JAMES ORENGO

"A very disturbing and becoming illegal and unconstitutional, and brutal way of dealing with the nurses on strike, where the current government of Siaya unleashed goons who beat up the nurses and some sustained fractures," union officials stated.

KNUNM Siaya branch secretary Kennedy Hamisi said the assailants not only injured nurses but also stole several mobile phones during the chaos.

In a hard-hitting statement, the union took direct aim at Governor Orengo, a longtime human rights lawyer once celebrated for defending Kenyans.

"We want to tell you, Governor for Siaya, that you must desist from using an orthodox method, brutal and unconstitutional, and barbaric method of resolving the issues that affect the nurses of the current government," the union stated.

"I am so ashamed of you, Governor James Orengo. You do not represent the person we Kenyans have known for years. Money has entered your head and now you think that you are so big to respect the rights of Kenyans because nurses are Kenyans and they have the right to go on strike as provided for in the Constitution of Kenya Article 41."

The union stressed that nurses are protected by the Constitution, with Article 41 granting them the right to strike and Article 37 allowing peaceful demonstrations, warning that intimidation or violence would not stop their protest.

The strike, now in its third week, is fueled by unresolved grievances such as failure to remit statutory deductions—including bank loans, SACCO contributions, insurance, pensions, and union dues.

Nurses are also demanding the absorption of Universal Health Coverage staff, enforcement of a Salaries and Remuneration Commission circular meant to raise pay, and fulfillment of a 2017 return-to-work agreement.

"We have persistent salary delays. Siaya is one of the counties where salaries are delayed up to four months, three months. Members have been reduced, workers have been reduced to beggars, and this cannot be left," the union stated. They further pointed to a severe nurse shortage that has crippled service delivery across the county.

Issuing a warning, KNUNM threatened to escalate their protest beyond Siaya if the stalemate and violent confrontations persisted.

"If you continue using brutal force, we will not be cowed. We will instead go ahead and call for a regional strike, and if he shall not resolve, we shall escalate the industrial action to be nationalized because what is one of us is all of us," the union declared.

The officials also criticized Siaya for dragging its feet while other counties have already taken concrete steps to resolve similar disputes, accusing the county of choosing violence over dialogue.