KMPDU Unsatisfied After Gov't Offers To Meet 18 Of 19 Demands: "Take Them Back"

• The national and county governments committed to honouring 18 out of the 19 demands that informed the doctors' strike
• But the Kenya Medical Practitioners Dentists Union (KMPDU) explained that the one left out was its most crucial grievance
• The medics want the pay of intern doctors capped at over KSh 200,000, even as the national government holds that it is insolvent to meet that

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi: The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) has stated that its members won't resume work despite the government's commitment to honour 18 out of the 19 grievances that informed their strike over a month ago.

Among the medics' grievances were posting and payment of the intern doctors and comprehensive medical cover, and other contents of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the doctors and the state.

Why KMPDU is unconvinced by gov't's latest move

The parties from the two tiers of government declared having been ready to meet 18 of the total grievances.

But KMPDU secretary general Davji Atellah said his side was not convinced as the single unmet demand was the most crucial.

The county and national governments maintained their stances on the intern doctors' pay, with the KMPDU declaring this as the deal breaker.

"Dear government, the doctors are saying that since you have publicly said that you conceded to 18 of our 19 demands(except internship), kindly take back the 18 and give us the 1 . As a community, we are not used to abandoning the most vulnerable, and to us, interns are currently very vulnerable," said Atellah.

Whilst the doctors want the interns to be entitled to over KSh 200,000 as their monthly pay, the government said it was insolvent to meet that.

In his maiden take on the doctors' strike, President William Ruto noted with concern that public servants' salaries were taking a huge chunk of the national revenue.

He said his object was to lower the wage bill to below 35% of the country's revenue.

According to Ruto, the country needed money to fund development and other sectors, suggesting the doctors' call for improved remuneration would not be met given the state's many commitments.

With the foregoing, Ruto underscored his administration's resolve to pay intern doctors a KSh 70,000 monthly stipend as they await employment.

But doctors turned down the offer, viewing to continue with the strike for the long it would take.

Doctors strike called by KMPDU

• Laying the ground for the doctors' strike in late February 2024 was the posting of interns for which the KMPDU blamed the national government over delays.
• The union later made good its strike threat with a solid 19-point grievance list, which they demanded the Ministry of Health to meet.
• Over thirty days later, the national government, through a Whole Nation Approach involving key players, is yet to strike a deal with the striking doctors.
• The bone of the contention happened to be the remuneration of the intern doctors, with the state arguing that it did not have the money to meet that particular demand.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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KMDPU boss Davji Atellah speaking to the press.

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