The perennial salaries delay faced by over 3000 Mombasa County Government workers is set to ease after their employer entered into an agreement with a financial institution to advance salary payments.
The agreement signed between Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir and the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), will see workers earn their salaries on time and end ceaseless squabble over delays of their dues.
The County Boss had pledged to solve the recurrent salary delays that have plagued the County by engaging multi sectoral stakeholders including financial institutions.
Nassir termed the partnership with the lender as timely given his administration had already begun reeling from industrial action approximately three months into his tenure.
About a week ago Health workers in the County had called for a strike, which later was called off after the court intervened. With this trajectory, he says, salary and remittance delays will be resolved conclusively.
“On behalf of the people of Mombasa, this agreement that we are signing today is to ensure that all County workers in Mombasa receive their salary from the 25th of every month.”
He also said that he was in negotiation with KCB to extend their facility to include initiatives that will grant the employees; mortgage, car loans and better medical insurance covers.
He went on to note that the only guarantee his employees will need to be eligible for these lends will be their distinctiveness as the county’s staff.
Addressing the citizenry at the county assembly’s treasury square, the governor guaranteed that his previously promised plan to provide free feeding programme to all public Early Childhood Development (ECD) pupils will commence as soon as schools resume for the next term.
The governor also pledged to implement a supplementary budget that will facilitate stipends for the county’s Community Health Workers (CHW).
Human resource review shall be of key priority come January as emphasized by the county boss, elaborating that it was important to know his employees by ensuring their biometrics and passport size photos are captured and filed.
“This process is aimed at looking into employees’ time work frame to enable valid and qualified promotions, to grant equal opportunities to both genders and every tribe in the county, be aware of how many employees should be hired in every sector and also busting out the ghost workers,” said Nassir.
“Mombasa has very hardworking people and we want to make sure we are paying humans salaries because human beings have fingerprints and a face, on this one, there is no backing off”, the governor went on.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Paul Russo assured the governor that he had a solid partner and that they shall deliver diligently.
“Over and above the salaries, it is an opportunity for us to deliver meaningful solutions to your staff, whether personal banking and lending, car loans or mortgage, we shall partner with you to deliver that,” he said.
Russo noted that on behalf of KCB, he was giving a personal welcome to partner, build the future and support Mombasa County.
By Fatuma Said and Andrew Hinga
