Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi to resolve the ongoing medical strike in the county.
In a statement on Thursday, July 24, the lawmaker claimed that if the governor fails to take action within the given timeframe, he will move a motion to summon Wamatangi before the Senate.
For the past 58 days, hospital operations in Kiambu County have been in paralysis after doctors downed their tools, citing a lack of promotions, punitive actions against doctors who raise concerns, and inadequate medical cover.
According to Karungo, the strike, which he described as 'irresponsible and shameful', has not only paralysed healthcare services in the county but has also placed the lives of Kiambu residents at risk.
"As the elected Senator for Kiambu, I stand in full solidarity with the healthcare workers who have been abandoned by their employer and whose demands remain unmet. The lives of our people must not be held hostage by bureaucratic indifference or political pride," the senator said.
"I hereby issue an ultimatum to the Governor of Kiambu: You have seven (7) days to resolve this crisis decisively. If no action is taken, I will make a formal motion in the Senate to have you summoned before the Senate to explain your gross abdication of duty in this matter," he added.
The Senator stated that the Governor's failure to address the ongoing medical strike soon will also cripple the county's revenue generation, which largely depends on healthcare.
"Even more disturbing is that this is the same county that has been loudly boasting about record revenue collection-much of it from hospitals-yet remains unwilling to invest those very resources back into the healthcare workers and infrastructure that sustain those collections," he said.
The development comes days after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah threatened to ignite a nationwide doctors' strike if the county and national government fail to address the Kiambu doctors' grievances.
Furthermore, Atellah, in a statement on Monday, July 21, urged the Ministry of Health to withdraw all medical interns stationed in Kiambu, citing the county government's inability to sustain their training and well-being.
Despite efforts to engage in talks with the Kiambu county government to formulate strategies that would resolve the strike, no action has been taken by the county government, which, according to Atellah, undermines the dignity of the health workers.
"This strike is for the dignity of the doctors and the dignity of the patients in the county. Today marks day 55 of this strike, and we are not seeing an end anytime soon, because the county government has decided to be unreasonable," Atellah said.
