A section of Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KMPDU) officials are calling on the government to make the deal that saw the country import doctors from Cuba made public.
Speaking during their annual meeting in Eldoret, officials from KMPDU's North Rift region led by the region's Chairman Dr. Darwin Ambuka and Secretary General Dr Kamonzi Mulei, the leaders asked the government to come clean about the deal it made with Cuba.
"Just in the same way the government has made public the memorandum of understanding about the Standard Gauge Railway, we also want to know how much Cuban doctors are earning in this country" Dr Ambuka told the press.
The KMPDU North Rift chairman also sought to know how the number of local doctors the money being paid to each Cuban doctor can pay.
Furthermore, Dr Ambuka stated that time has come to bid the Cuban doctors goodbye and pave way give way for the employment of 5,000 local doctors across the sector.
According to the union leaders, the government should prioritise the employment of local doctors as opposed to importing experts.
In addition, the medics called on the national government to collaborate with county administration and procure enough medical supplies.
According to the officials, it is time leaders from across the country started acting on their manifestos that had good plans for the health care sector.
"To all the elected leaders, now is the time to look at health as a key docket in this country. The ball is now in your court, you can either break or make it," Dr. Mulei told the media.
In May 2018, the Kenyan government signed an MoU with Cuba stating that the Cuban specialists would work in the country for two years, while 50 Kenyan doctors would be trained in Cuba for two years.
The MoU also obligated the ministry to ensure the specialists are paid their salaries by the tenth day of every month, to pay for their flights to Kenya and back to Cuba during annual leaves and final departure.
The MoU with Cuba was renewed by the then Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe in 2020.
At the time of going to press, KMPDU's national secretary general Davji Atella had not responded on the matter as our calls and texts went unanswered.
