By Joshua Cheloti

Narok Senator Ledama Olekina has predicted tough times ahead for the country in the coming few months.

Olekina warns that with delays in the payment of salaries for civil servants, there might be major demonstrations unless the country’s politics are fixed.

In a tweet on Wednesday, the ODM Senator noted that if nothing is done now, “Kenya will collapse”.

He said it was time those in power stopped giving ‘promise after promise’ and started working for the people – an apparent dig at the Kenya Kwanza government.

“If the politics of Kenya are not fixed Today! Kenya will collapse within the next two months … next week contractors will demonstrate, nurses will demonstrate, doctors will demonstrate and all civil servants will also demonstrate then promise after promise will no longer gain traction even those who have taken a conscious sabbatical will come back to a destroyed economy! Wake up!” Olekina said in a tweet.

His warning comes at a time the government has admitted to struggling to pay civil servants salaries.

But speaking on Tuesday, President William Ruto said despite being the first time civil servants’ salaries had been delayed, they will not go back to relying on loans to finance government expenses.

“We are not going to borrow money to pay salaries,” Ruto said.

Already some of the workforce have threatened a boycott to push for the release of their pay.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU) on Tuesday issued a 7-day ultimatum for the government and counties to pay health workers or face industrial action.

Counties are the worst hit by the current financial situation with reports some of the workers in devolved units have not been paid for the last three months.

“It should worry any Kenyan of goodwill that close to 40 counties have neither paid healthcare workers their salaries nor remitted statutory deductions. The few that have managed to pay salaries have reported having arrangements with banks for overdrafts and loans,” KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah told journalists.

“ We find it preposterous that government employees, especially those that provide essential services in the health sector, are continuously inundated with notifications of delayed salary payments and statutory deductions,” he added.