Kenya is likely to face another wave of doctors’ strike. This is following the Council of Governors’ (COG) admission of its inability to pay its part of the bargain to doctors.
The Council of Governors Chair, Ahmed Abdullahi made this announcement on Thursday, November 21, saying the Ksh2 billion increase in allocation to counties is too little and is set to affect operations of counties.
He added that doctors will be among those who will bear the brunt of the paltry increase, as the money cannot meet their demands in the Collective Bargaining Formula (CBA).
Counties will struggle to pay doctors
“We will also struggle to meet our end of the bargain to doctors because for the doctors the agreement was the National government covers their part of the arrears of the impact of the CBA which was not complied with, and then it was assumed that the new division of revenue will give counties additional money to meet the CBA requirements going forward,” said the COG chair.
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The Wajir Governor went on to add that counties will have to find other means to finance their payrolls and non-discretionary expenditures.
“Counties then have to find another Ksh.11.5 billion from other budget line to cover payroll costs,” he added
Parliamentary allocations to counties
Parliament mediation committee allocated to counties Ksh 387 billion in this financial year, a Ksh.2 billion increase from the previous allocation which was Ksh.385 billion.
Also Read: Doctors Threaten to Strike Again, Give Ultimatum
This announcement came as doctors threatened to go on strike in December should the government fail to honour their end of the CBA.
Furthermore, the medics decried lack of payment of doctor’s basic salary arrears and payment of intern doctors. The doctors gave the government up to the end of November to honour the agreement.
“We have already initiated contempt proceedings against all 47 counties and the national government. If they do not comply, then for sure, in December, we shall have a strike, and 2024 will go down in history as a year where KMPDU went on strike twice,” said the KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah.
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