Civil servants and teachers have warned the government against delaying their salaries, speaking through their unions the government workers said that if their April salaries are delayed the way the March salaries were delayed they will have no otherwise but down their tools.

Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) warned of a nationwide strike if the government fails to meet their salary obligations as they have undergone untold suffering and they will not tolerate any further delays.

The government has acknowledged a tight fiscal position which is unprecedented because for the first time since independence, the government failed to process salary payments for its workers.

Government employees were told to brace themselves for more salary delays amid a worsening economic situation in the country.

Some counties are also grappling with the crisis as the government is yet to remit money to the county governments with some county government workers already on strike especially in the health sector.

David Ndii who is the Chairman of Kenya Kwanza Economic Advisory Council intimated that the government was faced with a dilemma between paying salaries and defaulting loan obligations or paying loans and delaying salaries. The government opted for the later.

However, the workers’ unions dispute this saying that the government has enough money to pay workers. UKCS Secretary-General Tom Odege argued that taxes collected by the Kenya Revenue Authority should be used to pay salaries, noting that there has not been a decrease in revenue collection.

“We have not seen a decrease in revenue collection since the previous administration left office, therefore there is no reason at all for salary delays,” Mr Odege, who is also the Nyatike MP, said

Should the workers’ demands not be met, Mr Odege warned, “the government should prepare for a mega strike in July.”