Kenya reports 11 deaths, 356 new pandemic infections

ANKARA (AA) – Kenyan Health Ministry on Friday announced 11 more COVID-19-related deaths and new 356 infections, amid a strike of health workers.

The total confirmed infections in the country have now reached 93,761, the Kenyan Health Ministry tweeted in its latest update.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe warned striking health workers that they will be sacked in case they do not resume work. Earlier the Employment and Labor Court asked the striking health workers to temporarily suspend their strike for 14 days and return to work, a local news website reported.

"I can confirm that my ministry and that of Labor and Social Protection continues to engage with union officials to find an amicable solution to the issues that concern their members, “said the official.

George Gibore, secretary-general of Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) said the health workers were asking for improving safety at hospitals.

“This is a serious matter, and the court order is not sufficient enough to compel us to go back to work,” he said.

The health workers who have been striking since late November including nurses and clinical officers but so far not doctors lamented that many of their colleagues were dying from COVID-19 due to a lack of both protective gear and health insurance.