In Migori County, troubling claims have surfaced from healthcare workers who say their employer has been exploiting them for months.
The complaints are directed at St. Akidiva Memorial Hospital, where staff allege that poor treatment, withheld wages, and sudden dismissals have become a routine way of handling employees.
Workers argue that this is not just a labor issue but also a human crisis, as many of those affected are parents and sole breadwinners who depend on their salaries to sustain their families.
Testimonies from current and former employees reveal a pattern where staff are made to work for two months without pay. When payment is finally made, it only covers half a month’s salary, leaving arrears that continue to pile up with no assurance of when they will be cleared.
Anyone who questions these practices or pushes for what is owed reportedly faces dismissal without prior notice.
According to the workers, the hospital has developed a system of quickly hiring new staff to replace those dismissed, allowing the cycle of exploitation to continue unchecked.
The situation has recently taken a sharper turn, with clinical officers and nurses who had gone for months without salaries being offered very little money under an ultimatum to either accept or walk away.
This “take it or leave” approach has been described by workers as a deliberate tactic to suppress complaints while keeping the facility running at their expense.
Many feel cornered, as walking away means losing everything, while staying means continuing under conditions that strip them of dignity and financial stability.
For many families, the effects are devastating. Insiders describe how some employees can no longer afford rent, school fees, or even basic needs.
What should have been respectable professional work has instead become a source of frustration and despair. Workers speak of the humiliation of dedicating their energy and skills to care for patients while their own families suffer due to lack of income.
These allegations have sparked growing outrage within Migori town.
Calls are mounting for labor rights groups and government authorities to step in and investigate the management of St. Akidiva Memorial Hospital.
Community members argue that healthcare professionals should be supported, not exploited, especially when they are on the frontlines of saving lives.
“Good evening Nyakundi. Kindly hide my identity. I would like you to help me expose the injustices some of these private hospitals do to their employees. There is this particular hospital in Migori town called St. Akidiva. The management of this hospital has been frustrating the healthcare givers for a long time. They employ you, you work for a whole two months without pay, only to be paid half salary for one month.
They end up accumulating arrears and when they sense that they will not be able to pay, they fire the employees without any notice for new ones. Of recent, they decided to pay COs and nurses who have worked for two months without pay KSh 5000, with this attitude of ‘mchukue hiyo ama mtoke.’ It hurts that some of these people being frustrated are parents, with needs and bills to pay. Kindly help me shout out against such injustices. Thank you.”
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