Shariff Nassir: Perrenial salary delays will be a thing of the Past

By Tobby Otum

Mombasa governor Abdlussamad Shariff Nassir has promised to end the delays in county government employees’ monthly salaries.

He said the perennial delays for the health workers’ salaries will be a thing of the past.

“I am determined to ensure the issue does not continue and I sympathise with the county workers for receiving their salaries late,” he pointed out.

Abdlussamad said he empathizes with the county employees who get their salaries late.

He was reacting to a strike threat by county medics over a two months’ salary delay at his office in Mvita constituency, Mombasa county. The workers have threatened to go on strike from December 12.

The governor said it is only the November salary that is pending and promised to sort out the matter as he called for patience and tolerance.

He said he has come out to set the record straight that according to his county government they are late with the medics’ November salary.

“It is only the November salary that is late but there is no two months’ salary delay,” he pointed out.

The governor pointed out he has instructed Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital chief administrator Dr Iqbal Khandwalla that no lives should be lost during the health workers’ strike.

Abdulswamad disclosed the October salary has already been disbursed.

He urged the medics to countercheck their accounts with their respective banks to get their facts right.

“My administration has already authorized the October salary payment and we have not failed in our responsibilities,” he said.

The governor said he would not run the county affairs by running away from its responsibilities and that he was ready to face challenges in the county.

Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KMPDU) Mombasa branch secretary general Salim Khalib said they want the county government to pay the November and October salaries and the remittances failure to which there will be no services offered to patients.