Doctors Defiant as Strike Persists: Mega Assembly and Protests Planned

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) are gearing up for a significant doctors' assembly at RFUEA grounds along Ngong Road amid the ongoing strike. In a statement posted on X, KMPDU urged all doctors, medical interns, and students to attend the gathering on Tuesday to address critical issues concerning doctors’ welfare.

Simultaneously, the KMPDU Nyanza branch is organizing a peaceful demonstration in Kisumu today, rallying medics from Kakamega and Kisumu counties. This action follows last week's demonstrations in Nakuru, Meru, Nairobi, and Eldoret, where doctors took to the streets demanding government action.

KMPDU Secretary General, Davji Atellah, reiterated that doctors will remain on strike until their demands are met. Speaking at a meeting of the union’s national officials in Kirinyaga, Atellah accused the Ministry of Health, led by Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, and county governments of intimidating doctors with threats of termination.

Atellah stated, “Nobody should think they are more important or more Kenyan than us so that we can be stopped from fighting for our rights. As leaders, we are ready for anything… until they implement the CBA.”

Despite calls from the Council of Governors and the Ministry of Health for doctors to return to work under the threat of dismissal, the strike persists. Additionally, clinical officers have joined the strike, which began on Monday after their one-week strike notice expired and the Ministry of Health failed to address their concerns.

The strike has resulted in a halt in services at Level 2 to 5 hospitals nationwide, exacerbating the already dire situation created by the ongoing doctor's strike.