The Council of Governors (CoG) through its Chair Governor Anne Waiguru has issued a warning to medics who are on strike called by the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU).
Striking doctors who have their respective County Governments as their employers were urged to go back to work failure to which their employers will take appropriate disciplinary action.
Waiguru issued the warning on March 27, 2024, following an Extra-Ordinary Meeting by the CoG held to address the demands raised by the doctors.
“We also call upon the Doctors who are still on strike to go back to work, pursuant to the Court orders issued on 13th March 2024 and 15th March 2024, failure to which the respective County Governments who are the employers will be at liberty to take appropriate disciplinary action,” read part of the statement.
The governors also called on KMPDU to negotiate new a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with respective individual county governments.
Waiguru on devolved functions
According to Waiguru, since health is a devolved function, counties are the employers of the medics and are hence best placed to address their grievances.
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“We encourage the union to negotiate the new CBAs with individual county governments who are their employers. This cannot be negotiated from the national level because health is a devolved function. We urge the county governments and the doctors to exercise sobriety as parties resolve these matters amicably,” said Waiguru.
The governors however acknowledged that health as a devolved function is not adequately funded but pointed out that all counties were funding health to the best of their ability according to their available resources.
According to the Kirinyaga governor, every county allocates at least of 30% of the total allocation to health.
Concerning the matter raised by KMPDU over delayed posting of interns, the governors highlighted that it was a National Government issue.
They however indicated that all internship training centers within the County facilities are available to receive and welcome the interns once they are posted.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) on its part was directed to implement the resolution made to extend the contracts of UHC staff for a period of three years under the same terms and conditions.
Doctors raise issues
Other matters raised by KMPDU that were addressed include payment of fees for doctors on postgraduate training, payment of arrears of basic salaries as per the 2017 CBA, and provision of comprehensive Medical Insurance.
Also, issues about Failure to release doctors for post graduate training and delays in payment of salaries and remittance of statutory deduction were addressed.
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The CoG further condemned the violence meted against doctors during their demonstrations held on 29th February 2024.
“We call upon Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to follow up on this matter so that justice is served to the victims and to stop such occurrences in future,” the statement added.
Doctors have been on strike for more than 14 days since KMPDU issued a strike notice citing key issues pertaining to the welfare of their Union members on 6th March 2024.
KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah has insisted that the strike is still on.
He stated that they will not be threatened to resume duty as the government has continually disregarded court orders to pay doctors their deserved dues.
Dr. Atellah further urged the Ministry and both county and national governments to go into the talks with goodwill, failure to which he intimated that the industrial action would only stretch on.
