Doctors ended their 56-day strike on Wednesday following the signing of a return-to-work agreement between the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU).
The breakthrough came after extensive discussions on Tuesday between KMPDU representatives and government officials from the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
The agreement, reached with the Ministry of Health, tackled most of the contentious issues fueling the strike, although a few matters remained unresolved.
On the issue of outstanding basic salary arrears, it was agreed that these would be settled within the upcoming financial year. KMPDU was tasked with providing a list of doctors awaiting salary arrears within 15 days.
Additionally, the government committed to facilitating the settlement of basic salary arrears owed by County Governments, amounting to Ksh.3.5 billion in accordance with the 2017 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA).
Regarding the posting and payment of intern doctors, a significant point of contention, the matter was not fully resolved and remains pending in the Labour Relations Court of Kenya at Eldoret. Negotiations on this issue will commence and conclude within 60 days.
Furthermore, it was agreed that within 90 days, KMPDU would finalize CBAs with each National Teaching and Referral Hospital in compliance with constitutional guidelines.
Registrars’ duties and working hours were also addressed, with rotations not to exceed 40 hours per week. The government pledged to promptly settle outstanding fees for government-sponsored postgraduate registrars since 2018.
In a move toward bolstering healthcare services, an agreement was made to recruit 2,000 additional doctors to support the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) initiative within 90 days.
Efforts to promote medical personnel were initiated, with KMPDU instructed to furnish a list of eligible medical professionals due for promotion.
An intergovernmental task force was established to address persistent challenges within the health sector and lingering issues arising from the strike.
Importantly, it was agreed that no employee who participated in the strike would face victimization, and all outstanding union dues and salaries would be settled according to existing contractual obligations.
