The country is on the brink of another doctors' strike after the Council of Governors (COG) acknowledged it cannot meet its financial obligations to healthcare workers.
This crisis looms just as the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) threatens to down tools in December if the government fails to honour its promise to pay medical interns.
On Thursday, November 21, Ahmed Abdullahi, chair of the COG, revealed that the Ksh2 billion increase in county allocations was inadequate to address rising healthcare demands. The modest boost to county budgets, he explained, will significantly disrupt operations, leaving doctors among the hardest hit.
“We will also struggle to meet our end of the bargain with doctors,” Abdullahi said, referencing the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that outlines payment terms for medical staff.
For doctors, the challenge is compounded by the unmet arrears in their CBA agreement, which were supposed to be settled by the national government. The increase in revenue from the national government, Abdullahi added, was intended to help counties meet these costs.
However, it is clear that this allocation falls far short of the Ksh11.5 billion needed to cover payrolls and other non-discretionary expenses, leaving counties scrambling for alternative funding.
This development comes as the KMPDU continues to press for the settlement of overdue payments, including the outstanding salaries for intern doctors. The union has given the government until the end of November to honour the agreements, warning that failure to do so will result in strike action.
“We have already initiated contempt proceedings against all 47 counties and the national government. If they do not comply, December will see KMPDU strike again,” asserted KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah.
The backdrop to this unrest is the troubled launch of the Social Health Authority (SHA), which replaced the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) earlier this year. Despite President William Ruto’s assurances that the new model, dubbed Taifa Care, will eventually transform the healthcare system, it has encountered significant operational difficulties.
One of the main promises of Taifa Care—to bring about universal healthcare—has faced delays, with hospitals struggling to meet their costs due to payment backlogs.
President Ruto, however, remains confident in the long-term success of Taifa Care, pointing to its streamlined structure and accurate costing of healthcare services. "Once Taifa Care becomes fully operational, we will have a healthcare system that guarantees dignity, peace of mind, and equitable access for every citizen," he proclaimed.
