Relief as doctors call off planned strike, to give talks another chance
Kenyan doctors have called off a nationwide strike that was set to start tomorrow (January 6) after deciding to give the government another chance to negotiate.
“We gave a 30-day notice to national and county governments as from January 6th. We have had engagements with the CS for Health and Council of Governors (CoG) over the issues we raised...We are far from making any agreements but we have decided to give dialogue a third chance for the good of Kenyans," Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) secretary-general Dr Davji Atellah said Thursday morning after meetings with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and county governors in Nairobi.
“The union will suspend the intended strike on condition that the engagement we have had over the last two weeks is entered as consent before a court of law and the government compelled to fulfill within the timelines as they have promised: in 60 days.”
He added: "The CBA of 2021 will be implemented in total and by that we hope the pains Kenyans suffer in hospitals will be sorted. We therefore communicate our decision to suspend the strike."
"This agreement was born out of a protracted and painful period for Kenyans now known as the 100-day doctors' strike," Dr Atellah said, adding that the union does not intend to take Kenyans back to that pain and frustration.
The union also acknowledged efforts by President William Ruto, Health CS Susan Nakhumicha, governors and other state actors in trying to resolve their issues including employment of doctors across the country.
“The same court gave us 60 days which expired last year and today, we extend another olive branch to the government having entered into engagement to implement the CBA including the basic salaries in arrears effective first July 2017 within 60 days.”
Further, the union wants the government to ensure that all post-graduate training fees for doctors who have been released from the counties are cleared.
“All post-graduate tuition fees must be cleared within January so as to enable specialisation of doctors to resume,” he said.
