It is not your money that pays doctors, our taxes should pay them - Sifuna tells Ruto

President Ruto on Wednesday dared those leaders supporting the ongoing strike to pay them instead, noting that the government does not have funds to meet the doctors' salary needs.

“If you support the strike then pay the money they are asking for. We must stop chasing what is popular, and instead go for what is right,” Ruto said.

Hours later during a Senate plenary, Senator Sifuna censured Ruto for his sentiments, noting that the doctors should be afforded their payment demands since their salaries are paid from public coffers and not the president's pockets.

"I want to remind him that the money that pays doctors, the money that pays him, is not his money. We support doctors, and we want our taxes to pay doctors," he said.

He further expressed concern over the blatant threats made by the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome who has incessantly warned the doctors from taking the streets.

Sifuna argued that Koome has exhibited incompetence and his occupancy at the national security's pivotal seat poses a great threat for upholding law provisions.

"He does not seem to understand the Bill of Rights and people have the right to assemble. I have been seeing doctors in the streets dressed in their white coats [and] they don't look threatening at all," noted Sifuna.

"When an IG of police says that they are going to bludgeon doctors who are on strike this is someone who has no idea on what he is doing in the office of the IG of police."

He further took on Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha for her recent statements on the strike which have shown lack of goodwill to help iron out the debacle.

Sifuna noted that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which sits at the heart of the tiff, should be fully honored and the government should uphold the law in fulfilling it.

"The government today must understand that CBAs do not expire unless a new one is registered in the Labour and Employment Court. When a government comes and finds an agreement in place, it is the responsibility of that government to honour those agreements," he said.

"I wanted to request the CS for Health and the government whether they understand the sanctity of a CBA. Then you have a ministry that says that the civil protests are being sponsored by cartels and they are the ones financing this industrial action."

The government has maintained that doctors will only receive what will be made available to them, insisting that the nation needs to tame its high wage bill.