The Council of Governors (CoG) has called for renegotiation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the government.
CoG Heath Committee chairperson Muthoni Njuki said the current CBA demands are unsustainable for the country.
Njuki maintained that the CBA is unrealistic and was signed for political reasons.
“We signed a CBA in 2017, one month before the general election and you know the temperatures that are usually there before elections. The doctor’s fraternity went on strike during election you know what that means for the then government. Therefore, those who signed in 2017 did it to cross that path of the election,” Njuki said.
He explained that the number of medical officers has increased, adding that the CBA cannot be implemented with the current economy.
Njuki revealed that the government will be forced to halt all its recurrent and development expenditure to meet the doctors’ demands.
“When you look at that CBA six or seven years later, it is almost impossible to implement unless we stop doing everything in Kenya that requires money,” he said.
“That is why we have said as government that the doctor’s should give us time to renegotiate the CBA so that we live within our means.”
Ndindi Nyoro Plea to Doctors
Budget Committee chairperson Ndindi Nyoro appealed to the doctors to resume their duties as the government works to meet their demands.
“The government has not refused to hold talks with the doctors. I urge them to go back to work and serve Kenyans as the talks continue,” Nyoro said.
However, the Kiharu MP said the doctors are free to agitate for better welfare even though the government cannot afford to their salary demands.
Also Read: Kenya Human Rights Commission Calls Out IG Koome, Issues Demands
Ruto Comments on the CBA
President William Ruto had previously dismissed the salary demands for intern doctors affirming that the government can only afford to pay Ksh70,000.
“The resources available can only support a stipend of Ksh70,000 for intern doctors. It is not a salary but a stipend for one year, after which they will be employed,” he said,
Ruto said the country is struggling with a huge wage bill and the government cannot afford extra recurrent expenditure.
“We must agree as a nation to live within our means, and we cannot continue to spend money we don’t have,” Ruto added.
Also Read: IG Koome Issues Directive to Police Commanders Over Demonstrating Doctors
Ruto revealed plans by the government to reduce the national budget from Ksh4.2 trillion to Ksh3.7 trillion.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah rejected the offer stating that doctors will not be used as scapegoats for reducing the wage bill.
Atellah said doctors’ salaries should be based on fair agreements and the amounts in the CBA are non-negotiable.
The doctors’ strike is now in its 32nd day as of Monday, April 15, 2024.
