In a rather strange turn of events, Siaya Governor James Orengo has broken ranks with his colleagues to side with striking doctors in what has shocked both county bosses and the national government.
Mr Orengo’s stand comes at a time when his immediate neighbours including Kisumu’s Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o and Fernandes Barasa are threatening to either not pay doctors who are not reporting to work or dismiss them altogether for what they claim is defying court orders.
The Siaya Governor, who spoke exclusively to the Nation, laid bare his reasons for standing with medics, which include having been their legal representative at the height of negotiating for the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement that is now a matter of contention.
According to the Governor, the doctors’ strike that is now over a month is taking place in circumstances in which the national government has failed to resolve a long-standing dispute between it and the medics.
He recalled how together with former Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, and Mr Phillip Murgor they represented the medics in 2017 before the courts when they were arrested during the industrial action.
During that time the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights mediated in the talks.
Currently, the religious leaders have offered to take up the arbitration role.
"Although I am a governor, on this issue I am on the side of the doctors. And if they require legal services I can take part in recruiting more lawyers including Otiende Amollo to come and appear for them," said Mr Orengo.
He feels that what was negotiated and agreed upon then when LSK and KNCHR mediated, has not been fully implemented and therefore doctors have a genuine case that the national government should consider.
“My stand on the doctors’ impasse is a minority position within the Council of Governors and my colleagues are aware of it. But having led lawyers that represented the union in 2017 in a matter I felt was genuine, I cannot abandon the medics because of the position I currently hold now since their demands were not fully met,” said Mr Orengo.
However, questions have risen over Mr Orengo’s stand and whether his Siaya County doctors have their issues sorted out.
But the Governor admitted that in Siaya, his administration has tried to address some of the issues being raised by doctors but stated that most of them cannot be addressed without the larger agenda that falls squarely on the national government’s doorstep.”
“Of course, doctors in Siaya are also affected and we have attempted to settle some of the concerns being raised but this cannot be entirely achieved before solving some things at the national level such as the interns’ impasse which falls squarely on the national government,” said Governor Orengo.
According to him, part of this crisis being faced by the national government is because the President William Ruto-led administration wants to claw back devolved functions and revert all the resources back to the central government.
He stated that the national government has even resorted to constructing facilities in counties that fall under the devolved units.
To him, this is being done to deny county governments funding and also for political purposes.
“We have a government that is hell-bent on retaining most health functions at the national level instead of allowing county governments to perform their constitutional mandate and allow resources to follow functions. This is partly why we are in this mess,” said Mr Orengo.
The Siaya County boss called the President out for talking about Mama mboga yet they cannot go to hospitals to get treatment.
He feels the doctors are reasonable in their demands and are ready to negotiate with the government to have their grievances addressed.
He warned the president not to take a hard stance like his predecessor did in dealing with the matter.
“The national government is failing because it is taking the same route Uhuru did when he maintained that he won’t pay and can't pay doctors. Doctors can't demand to be paid what is not payable. Meaning the money is there. This is why we are saying without fear of contradiction that the government of the day must resolve this issue,” said Siaya county boss.
Members of the 7,000-strong Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have been on strike since March 13 to demand better pay and working conditions, the strike has disrupted health care at the country's 57 public hospitals.
Clinical officers and the Kenya Medical Association have since joined the doctors.
This has left many patients in agony because they are unable to access basic services in public hospitals and is set to get worse since the doctors have threatened to involve their counterparts in the private facility to join the industrial action.
His sentiments appear to be in line with the ODM leader Raila Odinga's position who has been pushing for amicable ways of solving the impasse instead of the government taking hard lines.
According to Mr Odinga, the medical profession is too important to be managed so casually.
Mr Odinga appealed to counties that have terminated contracts of doctors for one reason or another to reconsider their actions and engage the doctors.
He believes that when the right actions are taken in consultation with the Doctors Union, will see the government avert the crisis that is building up in the health sector and pave the way for less antagonistic engagement.
