After a prolonged period of silence, opposition leader Raila Odinga has finally addressed the ongoing doctors’ strike, which has severely disrupted medical services across Kenya.
Speaking in Lavington, Nairobi, on Thursday following an ODM National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, Mr. Odinga urged both the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to seek common ground to resolve the impasse.
Mr. Odinga emphasized the importance of maintaining medical interns’ salaries at the agreed-upon rate of Ksh.206,000 as stipulated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2017. He suggested that honoring this agreement could serve as a temporary solution while negotiations continue for a new agreement.
“For the last seven years, interns have been earning Ksh.206,000 per month. These are actually the doctors running Level IV and many other public hospitals. There is no way an employer can reduce the salaries of employees mid-stream,” said Mr. Odinga, in reference to the State’s proposal to slash medical interns’ pay to Ksh.70,000.
“Counties are supposed to pay salaries of doctors who are enrolled for further studies while MoH is supposed to pay fees. My understanding is that while counties have kept their side of the arrangement, MoH has failed to do so since 2018. As a result, a number of doctors cannot complete their studies and graduate because of fees owed,” said the ODM top honcho.
“As they retake courses, counties have stopped their salaries because those doctors have overstayed in college. MoH must immediately engage the doctors and the institutions with a view of clearing the fee balance and enable the doctors complete their studies. MoH must also engage counties to resolve the issue of pay for doctors who have overstayed in college through mistakes not of their own making.”
Additionally, Mr. Odinga expressed concerns about the hiring of doctors on short-term contracts, urging the government to establish clear and fair labor practices to address this issue effectively. He stressed the importance of ensuring that doctors receive equitable pay across the board.
“We ask the government to reinstate the Ksh.206,000 pay for interns until the next CBA negotiations, which is around the corner, kicks in. In that next round of negotiations both parties should put their cases on the table for consideration.”
As a leader within the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya movement, Mr. Odinga advocated for greater uniformity in salary structures for doctors, highlighting the need for equal pay to promote fairness and consistency within the healthcare sector.
“Doctors are complaining about a free-for-all system where some employers have free will to decide what to pay. The result has been a very unequal system where doctors hired to do same jobs, experience a huge variation in salaries. The medical profession is too important to be managed such casually. The ministry must intervene for the doctors,” he said.
Mr. Odinga additionally urged counties that have terminated the contracts of doctors who joined the nationwide strike to reconsider their decisions and reinstate them.
“I believe if these actions are taken in consultation with KMPDU, we’ll be able to avert the crisis that is building up in the health sector and pave way for less antagonistic engagement. This is a crisis that has serious ramifications,” the opposition boss said.
“We want this resolved. We had not spoken before and we want the government to take notice because we cannot remain silent for a longer time when this is persisting. We ask them to act now and if they don’t, the consequences will be grave.”
