Health crisis looms as KMPDU issues 21-day doctors’ strike notice

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has issued a 21-day strike notice, effective December 22, if the government fails to honor terms of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

In a statement by KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah on Tuesday, the union expressed frustration over what it termed ongoing neglect by the government in enacting the CBA.

"The national and county governments have totally disregarded our agreements. It is an extraordinary time when promises and agreements are not honored and mean nothing, a time when Collective Bargaining Agreement that has been honored and respected for over 7 years can be bastardized by one government directive," said Dr. Atellah.

"A time when Governors can appear in media and boldly proclaim that they shall not comply to the agreement and affirm that they only signed the agreement to trick doctors back to work. A time when the pervasive culture of lies reign supreme in every boardroom."

The union also decried the government's contempt for court orders, particularly the judgment delivered on October 26, 2024, which validated the CBA on the remuneration package for medical interns.

"The doctor intern wages have been reduced by 70%, a situation unforeseen in workers history in this country and the world over. It is on the backdrop of these unfilled promises and impunity on our interns by both the national and county governments that the 10th KMPDU special delegate sitting on 30th November, 2024 ratified NAC decision for industrial action," stated Dr. Atellah.

"The ‘crisis’ National Advisory Council deliberation on 2nd December, 2024 unanimously voted for a 21 day-strike notice. Therefore, today December 3, 2024 we hereby issue a 21-day strike notice, to commence on the 22nd December, 2024 If our demands as per the return-to-work formula remain unfilled."

According to the KMPDU boss, while the public continues to suffer from poor medical care at public facilities, coupled with inadequate medical supplies, delays in enacting the CBA have led to a dwindling number of healthcare workers, with those remaining being severely overworked.

"Doctors among other healthcare workers have experienced extremely delayed salaries, very long working hours without honoring payments of overtime at all, lack of attending to leave, lack of a responsive & working health insurance cover and lack of compensation during post-graduate training," he said.

"We are tired of the rhetoric of goodwill when the government is in contempt of the court orders that adopted the unimplemented return to work formula. We are tired of the rhetoric of essential service workers when the government is in contempt of the judgement delivered on 26th October 2024 that validated our CBA on remuneration package of interns painfully negotiated 7 years ago."