Medical services in Kiambu County are set to come to a standstill on Thursday as doctors, under the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), gear up for a mass walkout and protest march amid a deepening health crisis now approaching its 60th day.

In a statement issued Wednesday evening, KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah announced that healthcare workers will convene at Kiambu Level V Hospital at 10 a.m. before marching to the County Assembly and later the Governor’s office.

Dr. Atellah said the demonstration goes beyond salary disputes, describing it as a mission to reclaim dignity, safety, and accountability within a county health system he termed as collapsing.

“Hospitals are running without doctors, patients are going without medication, and those entrusted with care are working under threat. Meanwhile, the leadership remains indifferent,” he said.

The union accused the Kiambu County government of failing to act or meaningfully engage with medical workers, even as the crisis worsens. Instead, Dr. Atellah claimed, the county leadership has chosen to shift blame and politicize public suffering rather than provide solutions.

“No healthcare worker should be forced to choose between professional duty and personal safety,” he said. “And no patient should have to wait endlessly in deserted wards.”

KMPDU warned that if the stalemate continues, the unrest could escalate into a nationwide strike, stressing they will not be silenced or deterred from defending the right to quality healthcare.

“To the people of Kiambu: we are standing with you. To the county and national governments: we are watching,” Atellah warned.

The looming shutdown follows a recent demand by KMPDU for the immediate relocation of all medical officer interns from Kiambu, citing a hostile and unstructured work environment caused by the prolonged strike.

According to the union, the absence of senior doctors has severely disrupted the necessary supervision and mentorship framework that medical interns require, endangering both patient safety and the integrity of the training programme.

KMPDU urged the Ministry of Health to immediately repost affected interns to counties with operational health systems and adequate support structures.