Kiambu Senator Karung’o Wa Thang’wa on Wednesday issued a rallying call to striking healthcare workers, urging them to attend Thursday’s Senate session and confront Governor Kimani Wamatangi over the ongoing healthcare crisis in Kiambu County.
In a statement, the senator faulted the governor as he demanded full accountability as the health crisis in the county entered its 70th day.
“The governor has failed both the medical professionals and the people of Kiambu. While I sympathise with the doctors over the unbearable workload and conditions, it is the patients who continue to bear the heaviest burden – suffering in under-resourced, barely functioning hospitals,” the senator observed.
Thang’wa noted Wamatangi’s impending appearance before the Senate Committee on Devolution on August 7, 2025, calling on the striking medical personnel to seize the opportunity to confront the county boss.
This is despite Wamatangi’s appearance before the committee primarily meant to make a case on why Thika should be elevated to a city.
“I formally invite all striking medical personnel to attend tomorrow's public Senate Committee sitting on Devolution, scheduled for 10:00 AM, to directly confront the Governor and present their demands,’ the senator added.
“City status is not a political reward; it is earned by fulfilling clear statutory requirements, including well-functioning healthcare systems, equipped hospitals, and operational ambulances. These are not optional. They are mandatory prerequisites under the First Schedule of the Urban Areas and Cities Act.”
Operations in the Kiambu County health sector have been paralysed for more than two months, with doctors citing a lack of promotions, punitive actions against doctors who raise concerns, and inadequate medical cover.
The strike has since come with ripple effects, with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) threatening to kickstart a nationwide strike of doctors in solidarity with their Kiambu counterparts.
In his statement, Senator Thang’wa claimed that the county was short of over 300 doctors and 13 major hospitals were facing closure or takeover by the national government due to the danger they pose to patients.
As a result of the ongoing industrial action, the Senator further claimed that medical interns had also began downing their tools, citing poor working conditions and safety concerns.
Further, the Senator accused Governor Wamatangi of deliberately ignoring a court-ordered Return-to-Work Formula issued by the High Court in May 2024 - a move he claims worsened the impasse between the county government and doctors.
In addition to calling on doctors to ambush the governor, Senator Thang’wa also called on the Senate to refuse to allow the governor to proceed with the city status agenda unless the health crisis was resolved.
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