Mombasa doctors call off strike

KMPDU's coast secretary, Dr Abidan Mwachi (left), and Mombasa County Chief of Staff Joab Tumbo.

KMPDU's coast secretary, Dr Abidan Mwachi (left), and Mombasa County Chief of Staff Joab Tumbo at the county governor's office when the doctors called off strike on January 15, 2021.

Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group

Mombasa doctors have called off their strike after the county government reinstated 86 of their sacked colleagues for boycotting work.

On January 6, the Governor Hassan Joho fired dozens of striking doctors including Dr Chibanzi Mwachonda, the acting Secretary-General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), for refusing to return to work as health services grounded to a halt following nurses and clinical officers strike.

The striking doctors later mobilised the support of their private sector counterparts to withdraw their services – a spot check by the Nation , however, showed that medics at private hospitals were working.

“It has been a long journey but finally our negotiations have been fruitful. Doctors should report to work immediately. Mechanism and processes have been put in place to end any eventualities,” said KMPDU coast secretary Abidan Mwachi.

Speaking at the governor’s office in Mombasa, Dr Mwachi apologised to residents for the strike that paralysed the health sector.

“We can never offer enough apologies. We have always engaged the county and we have always had a very mutual relationship. We hope that it continues, this one setback should not be used as a judgment. To our members we require you to go back to work immediately,” he said.

The union leader said the county has addressed most of the doctors’ demands.

Address demands

Acting health executive Godffrey Nato said the union and the county government have signed an agreement that addresses the' demands of the healthcare workers, including promotion, comprehensive medical cover and reinstatement of striking doctors.

“We are happy for what has happened we have had a fruitful discussion with KMPDU and at last we have seen white smoke. Doctors who had been sacked have been reinstated, we have effected promotions and we have agreed on the dismissal letters that they had sent earlier,” said Dr Nato.

Since late last year, healthcare workers including nurses and doctors have been on strike seeking promotions and complaining about issues such as salary delays and non-remittance of statutory deductions.

“It was a long struggle, there were some losses but I am happy that we are going back to work, lessons learned,” said County Chief of Staff Joab Tumbo.