A heated standoff is brewing between nurses and Secretary General Seth Panyako, with the nursing fraternity rejecting his alleged bid to unilaterally amend the constitution and extend his tenure as head of the Nurses Union.
According to the petition seen by safi news on Monday 2nd February and submitted at Eldoret High Courts by Kibii Koech through lawyer Nyakio Kirwa and Company Advocates, against two respondents Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives and Seth Panyako, as their Secretary General.
The petition has also included interested parties among them registrar of trade unions and the Attorney General seeking Constitution of Kenya national Union of nurses and midwives adopted on 16th December 2022 and registered on 28th August 2024 be declared unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void ab initio
The petitioner is also seeking an order to suspend the implementation of the same
Sources indicate Panyako secretly made the changes in a bid to remain in office indefinitely, a move nurses describe as “imperial” and “a sham”.
“Nurses will not be intimidated,” said a spokesperson for the protesting nurses. “We say no to Panyako’s attempt to impose himself on us. He’s a failure who’s trying to clench onto power.”
They are also demanding order of mandamus compelling the respondents Union and SG under supervision of the registrar of trade unions to conduct a national member’s referendum through independent electoral and boundaries commission before adoption of any Union Constitution
The nurses are calling Panyako’s bluff, daring him to hold fresh elections under a new constitution if he’s confident in his popularity. “We’ll show him more dust than he was shown in Malava,” warned the spokesperson.
While speaking to our investigative desk, former chairperson for Kenya National Association of Nurses Alfred Obengo stated that Panyako’s defeat at Malava constituency was a testament of his downfall
The situation is tense, with nurses vowing to fight Panyako’s alleged power grab. “When he cried in Malava, it was child’s play,” the spokesperson said. “Now we want him to cry for real.”
The orders also includes directing that all other elections and referendums of the KNUNM be conducted by IEBC in place of the independent National Electoral Commission which they say lacks merits, credibility and transparent to give fair and credible results
We also want an order compelling respondents to facilitate elections only through independent and neutral electoral body as directed by the court