Seven Nairobi Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Committee members could be charged with contempt of court if they don't appear in court today.
This is after a court in Nairobi summoned the CBA Implementation Committee to record a statement over the ongoing doctors' strike in Nairobi County.
The court has directed the County Secretary, CEC Health, Chief Officer Health, Chief Officer Public Health, and the Branch Chairman to appear in court on Thursday, March 13.
Others summoned are the Branch Secretary and Branch Treasurer, who are expected to appear in court physically by 9:30am.
"These seven must appear in court physically by 9:30am on March 13 and either record a consent or face contempt of court," the notice read in part.
Patients in Nairobi County continue to face a crisis, with medical services in public hospitals suspended following the official strike by doctors that began on February 28.
According to the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), despite signing a CBA, they were still facing frustrations over ongoing issues such as unjust salary stoppages, stalled promotions, delayed gratuities, and unpaid confirmation letters.
The doctors revealed that they have had numerous engagements with the county leadership since 2023 over the implementation of the CBA, but the engagements have borne no fruit.
Despite the signing of a return-to-work formula on May 8, 2024, and the suspension of a strike on January 23, 2025, to allow room for dialogue, the county is said to be disregarding their pleas and ignoring them.
The doctors in Nairobi who have been on strike for over a fortnight now are calling on the county leadership to resolve the issues raised, failure to which they will continue with the strike that continues to compromise services in the capital.
"The county has disappointed us; we have had numerous engagements with them, but they have fulfilled none of the agreements in the CBA. Some of the things the county is doing unjustly is dismissing doctors without protocol, without a showcase or warning letter," one of the doctors decried during a protest on Tuesday.
Over 300 doctors in county hospitals, including Mbagathi Hospital, Mama Lucy, Pumwani, Mama Margaret, and all level two, three, and four hospitals in Nairobi County, have downed their tools.
This comes as even the Ministry of Health reached an agreement with clinical officers, ending a strike that had prolonged for weeks.
