KMPDU officials led by secretary general Davji Atellah during a press conference on March 14, 2025 /KMPDUDoctors have said they will be back in the streets on Tuesday to protests against unfulfilled promises they signed last year with the government.
On May 8, 2024, doctors ended a 56-day nationwide strike after signing a return-to-work agreement with the Ministry of Health, addressing grievances related to salary arrears, hiring of trainee doctors, and provision of medical insurance.
The strike, which began in mid-March, disrupted service provision in public healthcare facilities, prompting the government to adopt a whole-of-government approach that brought on board the Ministry of Labour and Head of Public Service to find a common ground after prolonged negotiations.
In a video message on Monday evening, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) secretary general Davji Atellah said the government has failed to honour its end of the bargain.
"Such a time last year, March 2024, we were on the streets; we negotiated with the government, went on strike and got an agreement. Again this year 2025 we are back on the streets because the government does not know how to honour agreements," he said.
The agreement addressed the key concerns raised by KMPDU, including the implementation of a 2017 collective bargaining agreement that would see intern doctors receive Sh206,000, effective immediately, and the disbursement of 50 per cent of the basic salary arrears.
KMPDU called off another nationwide strike slated for December 22, 2024, after the government showed commitment to implement the 2017 CBA.
The move was received with a sigh of relief by Kenyans who were facing the likelihood of grappling with a crippled healthcare sector the entire festive season.
But Atellah now says the excitement was shortlived as doctors brace to communicate with the government through the only language it seems to understand—strike.
"This time we are on the streets because we agreed that there's a collective bargaining agreement that needs to be used in payment of wages, not only for interns but for everyone but the government has decided to backtrack on this," he said.
Atellah called on all healthcare workers including interns to pour on the streets on Tuesday in their numbers to ensure their voices are heard.
"If you keep quite and stay calm, you will be robbed of everything you have by this government, even your house so you have to come out strongly, so I'm asking all the doctors, all the interns - if you don't come out be assured that you'll lose everything that you have," he said.
"It's time to fight, and when we fight, we win."
In an ealier post on KMPDU X handle, the union said: "We refuse to let the government exploit, abuse and drive its own junior doctors into depression and suicide while they struggle to save lives in a collpasing, overwhelmed healthcare system; one that has now trapped all Kenyans in a fraudulent medical insurance scheme with no reliable and comprehensive cover."
In her recent audit report, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu said that the new social health insurance under the Social Health Authority was not being managed by the government but by private individuals at a cost of Sh104 billion.
On March 4, President William Ruto issued a rebuttal saying the system was being run by a consortium of technology companies to ensure no fraudulent claims are made, as was the case with NHIF.
He said the government was not paying a single cent for the services.
“That is why we said we are going to have a consortium of technology companies that is going to make sure there are no fraudulent claims in SHA, and they are going to make sure that system is not paid for by the government of Kenya. It will be a fee for service facility that will make sure we protect citizen’s contributions,” Ruto said.
