The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) says Kiambu doctors have been forced to strike after repeated failures by the county government to pay salaries and implement court-backed agreements.
Legal rulings in favor of the doctors have not been acted upon, and health workers are demanding immediate action on delayed wages, promotions, and non-victimization measures.
Court orders ignored
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation, Dr. Davji Atellah, Secretary General of KMPDU, said the strike has been prolonged due to the county’s inaction.
“You know, I keep saying that this strike is more driven and it’s more prolonged by the county government, because when we went on a strike, when a strike for a reason, we didn’t strike last year for 56 days where we had a return to work formula that was signed, deposited in court and adopted as a court order,” he said on Tuesday.
Atellah cited delays in salaries, lack of promotions, and inadequate medical insurance as the main reasons for industrial action.
“You work in the counties. You work for three months. Your salaries are not paid. You work in the counties. You don’t see the promotions. You work. You don’t have medical insurance. We have doctors who we have to do contributions every single month for them to get medical care because they have cancers,” he explained.
The union has repeatedly sought to resolve the issues through the Ministry of Labour and the courts.
“We went to another court, before Judge Ellen Maureen, who then go through the process, gave us a judgment in March. I said, No, county, you need to honor agreements. Pay people on time. There’s no way you expect doctors to be at work when their wages are not paid, they don’t have the salaries,” Atellah added.
Despite a 21-day strike notice issued on May 5, the county failed to respond, prompting KMPDU to seek court approval to proceed.
“When we explain this to court, the court said, we have had too many court cases against Kiambu. We have had so many issues. Doctors, you have a right to proceed on the strike. So the court gave us go-ahead to proceed based on the frustration that we had experienced on engagement,” he said.
The union has also pursued contempt proceedings against the county, but implementation of rulings remains slow.
Efforts to directly engage the governor have been unsuccessful as alleged by the Union.
“I tried to reach out to the governor on several occasions before even issuing the notice, but he didn’t reply. I reached out to the Chair of the Health Committee Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki… he told me he can’t find the governor,” Atellah said.
The county assembly, meanwhile, has been divided. While some members supported the union’s demands, others resisted paying backlogged salaries or implementing non-victimization clauses.
“We came to realize that we are dealing with a chief officer and a CEC and a county government, or with the governor that have ill motives over the issues, and that’s why, that’s why we will have an issue of payment of salaries that was a problem being discussed, an issue of non victimizations being a subject of discussion,” Atellah explained.
The ongoing strike shows long-standing frustrations among Kiambu health workers who feel neglected, underfunded, and overworked. The union insists that patient care cannot improve without addressing the welfare and rights of doctors.