Muslim leaders mark Eid with calls on government to end doctors’ strike
Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, Imam of Eldoret Jamia Mosque, leads prayers to mark Idd-ul-Fitr at Uasin Gishu Primary School ground in Eldoret town on April 10, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Sheikh Hussein said it is poor Kenyans who will continue suffering.
- The cleric also took issue with nepotism and tribalism in the public sector.
Islamic leaders in the North Rift region used the Idd-Ul-Fitr celebrations to call for an end to the ongoing strike by doctors in the country.
Sheikh Mohammed Hussein of Jamia Mosque in Eldoret on Wednesday regretted that the stalemate between the government and doctors had taken a month without an amicable solution being reached.
“Currently, all public hospitals countrywide are in a crisis. Patients are suffering a lot as a result of being denied essential healthcare services," Sheikh Hussein said.
“Our government should do justice to our doctors by motivating them to serve Kenyans with quality health services,” he said at Uasin Gishu Primary School where Muslims in Eldoret congregated to mark the Idd-Ul-Fitr celebrations.
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Sheikh Hussein further said with the two parties maintaining a hardline stance, it is poor Kenyans who will continue suffering.
The cleric also took issue with nepotism in the public sector, noting that it is a threat to national cohesion.
Muslims pray to mark Idd-Ul-Fitr at Menengai grounds in Nakuru on April 10, 2024. Boniface
He said nepotism and tribalism have continued to take root in the country, especially in the job market.
“We need to consider all the tribes in the job market. Let us all fight tribalism and live together as Kenyans who respect God and humanity without any form of discrimination,” he said.
At the same time, Sheikh Abubakr Bini of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) has called on all spiritual leaders to pray for the country to overcome increasing cases of road accidents.
“Let us stop the blame game. The time has come for all of us, especially spiritual leaders, to stand in the gap and pray and bring to an end the increasing cases of road accidents,” said Sheikh Bini.
He appealed to President William Ruto to call for national prayers for the country to cleanse the roads.
In Turkana, the Muslim community welcomed plans by the government to abolish vetting during the national identity card application process.
They pointed out that the delayed issuance of national IDs has denied area residents key opportunities.
"Subjecting our children to a tedious vetting process is not only discriminatory but also unfair,” Ms Muna Abdi, nominated member of the County Assembly said during prayers to mark Eid-ul-Fitr at Jamia Mosque Lodwar.
President Ruto on Monday said that the vetting process that has been targeting minority groups will be abolished in May.
In Trans Nzoia County, hundreds of Muslims converged at Jamia Mosque in Kitale for the Idd-Ul Fitr prayers that were led by Imam Ismail Hajir.
Muslim clerics used the occasion to urge the government to lower the cost of living in the country.
