Medics' strike brings out the other side of doctors - creativity, witty messaging and proper handwriting

For over one month now, Kenyan doctors have occupied the headlines - and the streets - as their standoff with the government appears to worsen each day.

What started off as a threat soon snowballed into a messy street showdown that even saw the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah shot in the head with a teargas canister as police attempted to curb the protests in their earlier days.

Following Dr. Atellah's shooting, things got even uglier as the doctors vowed to up the ante in a bid to square off with the government as the race to prove who was mightier got thicker.

At first, the doctors, expectedly, kept it simple and neat - they'd hit the streets, picket around, cause as little disturbance as possible and then retreat.

But as their pleas continued to fall on deaf ears, the medical practitioners revitalised their street strategy - appearing to borrow a direct leaf from the aggressive anti-government protests which erupt every few months after the general election.

Buoyed by Dr. Atellah's shooting and the hard-line stances taken by the government, the medics went full militant mode, ditching their earlier gentility and choosing to paint the streets messy.

From their charged press conferences to the actual street appearances, the doctors demonstrated unrestrained resolve, willpower and even creativity in their bid to pass their message and tremble the authorities.

As did their off-the-cuff street proclamations, one thing also stood out - the messaging on their placards.

Notorious for their illegible handwriting, Kenyans were pleasantly surprised to learn that doctors could, actually, write comprehensible sentences without the dramatic scribblings they're infamous for.

X influencer Juma G noted the occurrence, writing, "During the Doctors' strike in Kenya, the doctors have displayed the best of handwriting on their placards. The other one on prescriptions is usually just showing off. In the CBA, they add a subsection for "Handwriting"..."

Kenyans were also treated to a colorful show of witty wordings and punchy one-liners as the doctors proved that they were more than just a bunch of soulless folks in blue aprons.

One placard read: "3 Words... Lipa. Kama. Tender."

Another read: "47k... Kwani ni online writing?"

While another read, "Nuisance tuko kwa streets. Public mko?" 

One doctor even strutted around in a white apron written, "70K? Labda waajiri mganga kutoka Kitui!"

Across the country, the messaging got funnier and livelier. One other doctor even carried a blue placard reading: "Ruto auze mshipi alipe madaktari!"

And, to further demonstrate their ingenuity, they even found a cute little name for the Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha - they baptised her, "Susan Nakufinya!"

Seemingly packed with relentless energy and sneering symbolism, doctors in Eldoret even parodied Second Lady Dorcas Gachagua by kneeling down and ‘praying for the patients and the government of Uasin Gishu County.'

Social commentator Gabriel Oguda, who has been keeping track of the slightest development in the rigmarole, tweeted: "Pastor Dorcas said she'll pray for the doctors' strike to end, so doctors in Eldoret decided to troll her today. Bwana, someone tell the driver to alight me at that electricity pole. That is my stage."

As things stand, there seems to be no let up in the medics drama - the county governments have remained stubborn, the Health CS has refused to budge, the KMPDU Secretary General keeps unleashing a new pair of fangs and the fellows from Treasury just won't dare heed to that salary demand.

But all in all, it seems, the messier it gets, the better the concert for bored Kenyans and idle onlookers.