The Busia County Government has signed a recognition agreement with the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU), paving the way for structured engagement on workers’ welfare and improved public health service delivery.
Speaking during the signing ceremony on Tuesday, Busia Deputy Governor and County Executive Committee Member for Health Arthur Odera said the agreement provides public health officers with a formal platform to engage the county government, raise grievances, and participate in planning and service delivery.
“This agreement means there is a basis on which the Union will be able to engage the county government with legal protection around it. This provides a platform for our public health officers for engagement, expression of their grievances to the county government, involvement in the planning activities in the county, and continuous delivery of services,” said Odera.
Odera said many of the challenges triggering strikes in the health sector are long-standing issues that require intervention beyond county governments.
“A lot of the issues related to the challenges affecting the health sector, including strikes, are legacy issues, some of which date back to 2007. Most of the disputes we have in the health sector are around scarcity of resources to employ more staff, provide equipment, and ensure that health workers have the commodities needed to deliver better health services,” he said.
The Deputy Governor also raised concern over the increasing cases of illegal alcohol production and sale in the county, warning that the menace was putting residents’ lives at risk.
He said public health officers were working closely with security agencies to curb the vice and urged authorities to take swift action against individuals involved in the illegal trade.
“Our health officers are working in conjunction with security officers to ensure they bring this to an end. We are also appealing to the security agencies because those engaging in this illegal business are known. They should act quickly and ensure that this menace is brought to an end. If the situation is not quickly handled, it is endangering the lives of our people,” said Odera.
KEHPHPU National Secretary-General, Brown Ashira, said the agreement would strengthen the role of public health officers in protecting residents and improving service delivery.
“The signing of this agreement strengthens the efforts of public health officers in delivery of services. The health challenges the county is exposed to by virtue of being a border county require us to protect our community,” said Ashira.
He said public health officers play a critical role in ensuring food safety, preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protecting residents from other health risks, particularly at border entry points.
Ashira also announced that the strike by public health officers in Busia had been called off, saying the union would pursue negotiations and other avenues to address workers’ grievances.
“We are a union that believes in negotiations rather than going to the streets. The strike issues have been on a county basis, and counties like Busia have already addressed the concerns. Therefore, we cannot go to the streets,” he said.
He urged the county government to employ more public health officers in the coming financial year, saying preventive health services were essential in complementing curative care.
Ashira further called for stricter controls in the issuance of liquor licenses, accusing some individuals involved in the licensing process of contributing to the proliferation of illegal alcohol businesses.
“We previously used to see a proper assessment before a liquor license was issued. Nowadays, we have people called chairmen of committees doing assessments and issuing liquor licenses without information on liquor matters. They are among the contributors to the menace we are experiencing,” he said.
He called on the Ministry of Interior to take action against illegal alcohol businesses and proposed that the issuance of liquor licenses be placed under the Directorate of Public Health to ensure proper assessment and regulation.
By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi
