ODM leader Raila Odinga came under fire on Tuesday, December 8, from a section of Kenyans after he reminded doctors that they took an oath to protect Kenyan lives.
Odinga, whose sentiments have ruffled feathers, was responding to the doctors who had threatened to go on a strike if their demands were not met by the national government.
"Doctors need to be more understanding, we are in a crisis at the moment, people are dying, it's not only doctors who are dying. We are in a dire situation as the economy is hurting during the Covid-19 pandemic," he stated.
Kenyans did not take the statement lightly especially after the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) announced that it had lost a youthful doctor to the virus.
The union indicated that prior to his death, Dr Stephen Mogusu had not been paid for a period of five months, adding that his young family would not get compensated.
The sentiments by the union and the ODM leader would then go viral on social media pages, with some Kenyans arguing that the government had misplaced priorities.
"Does it make sense that as Raila Odinga calls on doctors to be "understanding" and to stop pressing government to improve the health sector, he also thinks there is money in this poor economy to execute his BBI referendum? Nothing can be more heartless!" Edward Waswa stated.
"That statement by Raila Odinga concerning doctors was off. Let’s normalize saying the truth even if it hurts," another stated.
Soon afterward, an alleged payslip claiming to be to that of Dr Mogusu surfaced online, with a section of netizens claiming that the deceased had been paid contrary to earlier reports.
"According to doctors fake news factory KMPDU, Dr Stephen Mogusu was not paid for 5 months," blogger Lord Mutai stated as he posted the slip.
Before his death, Dr Mogusu told his colleagues who were employed in August 2020, to help in the battle against Covid-19 to be more adamant about getting their pay, or to abandon their jobs.
"My dear colleagues, let me take this opportunity to admonish you today to get your pay or get out while you can with your health and life intact," Mogusu stated.
