Revealed: How Gov't, KMPDU struck deal to call off doctors’ strike

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Thursday announced that it had suspended its planned industrial action after holding talks with the government through the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Ministry of Health.

KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah, in a subsequent statement to newsrooms, announced that although a final agreement had not been reached, they had decided to give dialogue with the State another chance.

Dr. Atellah stated that they were extending “another olive branch” to the government due to the goodwill and efforts that had been shown by the President William Ruto administration to resolve the issues they had raised in accordance with the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Citizen Digital has since obtained a copy of the resolutions reached by KMPDU and the government, in a meeting held on January 4, 2023, that was crucial in getting the medics to back down on their strike threats.

The meeting, which followed a series of others held in December last year, was attended by the KMPDU leadership led by Dr. Atellah, Health Cabinet Secretary Wafula Nakhumicha, and CoG committee bosses among them Johnson Sakaja (Labour), and Muthomi Njuki (Health).

The first matter that was raised by the union was the matter of the payment of basic salary as per the said CBA, and the implementation of the same in accordance with a court order issued on October 28, 2021 but which went ignored.

The sector stakeholders agreed to escalate the matter and come to a final agreement on the modalities of paying the basic salary by February 5, 2023.

According to the resolutions, KMPDU will present to the government a list of all county governments that do not have medical cover for doctors in a bid to ensure that the same is pursued and implemented.

The Ministry of Health, as per the deal, committed to posting a total of 1,000 medical interns by the second week of January this year, and further ensuring that this is done continually and in a timely manner.

The union and the government however agreed to shelve the matter of employment of specific numbers of doctors per year until the next CBA negotiations slated for mid-February this year.

County governments are however required to have ascertained the number of doctors that they can comfortably employ and maintain by the time of the said talks.

The resolutions also stated that the CS Wafula-led health ministry agreed to pay fees for all doctors on post-graduate studies effective immediately.

KMPDU will further forward to the ministry a list of doctors denied release to pursue post-graduate training by their respective counties by March 15, 2023.

The Dr. Atellah-led union was also tasked with submitting a list of county governments yet to promote doctors, as well as furnish all the devolved units with the CBA proposal immediately.

“Governors to share the experience with the other Governors facing salary delays on how to manage the issue to ensure that salaries are paid by the 5th of every month,” read the substantive agreement.