The World Health Organization (WHO) is facing heavy criticism over allegations of unpaid workers who participated in the Supplementary Immunization Activity in Turkana County.
This program, which took place between September and November last year, aimed to improve immunization coverage in the region.
However, workers involved in the initiative have reported that they have not received the full payments they were promised.
These workers, described as an independent team, claim they worked diligently to see the campaign through to its successful completion, only to face delayed or missing payments months after the activity ended.
The issue came to public attention through a post shared on Cyprian Is Nyakundi’s X handle.
In the post, an anonymous worker from Turkana expressed their frustration with the WHO’s failure to honor its payment commitments.
According to the worker, local representatives from WHO initially gave assurances that the payments would be processed promptly.
However, as time passed, these promises became less frequent, and communication dwindled.
The affected workers now feel abandoned, with no clear indication of when they will receive their dues or whether their grievances will even be addressed.
The worker’s statement highlights the frustration of those who dedicated their time and energy to the immunization campaign.
They noted that despite constant reminders to the county WHO representatives, the issue remains unresolved.
The worker expressed concern that this problem may not be limited to Turkana but could potentially affect workers in other counties where similar immunization activities were conducted.
This raises serious questions about the management of such programs and the organization’s accountability to the people it engages in critical health initiatives.
In the post, the worker wrote, “Hello Cyprian. Keep it anonymous, from Turkana County. The independent morning team for the Supplementary Immunization Activity that happened last year around September–November haven’t been fully paid as agreed by the World Health Organization. While following up from the county WHO representatives, they have been regularly promising that everything will be sorted out, and it’s now months without any fruits. However, they aren’t even talking about it nowadays as used to be despite our constant reminders. I request you publicize our plight. Could this be affecting all counties or just Turkana only? We worked diligently until the process came to an end. Let them pay us all our dues.”
This situation has sparked widespread concern about how international organizations like WHO manage their operations and uphold commitments to local workers.
The affected individuals are demanding immediate action to resolve the issue and ensure fairness.
They believe their efforts in contributing to an important public health campaign should be recognized and compensated as promised.
Such incidents risk tarnishing the reputation of the organization and undermining trust in future health initiatives in the region.
