The government struck a deal with Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Wednesday, January 4, to avert a looming strike.
This was after the Council of Governors (CoG) led by its Chairperson and Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru mediated between the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Union.
The meeting came after KMPDU threatened to go on a countrywide strike from January 6, 2023, over what it claimed to be the government's failure to implement several Collecting Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
“All doctors will down their tools if the Ministry of Health fails to fulfill agreements in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covering the 2017-2021 period,” the union warned on December 26, 2022.
To avoid a crisis in the health sector which is a devolved unit, CoG called for a meeting between the union and the national government.
The Waiguru-led team was able to broker a compromise between the two parties and avert a crisis.
“We have concluded a consultative meeting between COG, Ministry of Health, and KMPDU to deliberate on the issues raised by the union on the welfare of Medical Doctors,” the council announced in a statement.
“The two parties agreed to work together on the issues that had been raised by KMPDU,” the statement read further.
Key to the agreement was that individual county governments would constitute a committee to implement the 2017-2022 CBA.
The Ministry of Health also agreed to work with KMPDU to ensure there are no salary delays for doctors as well as the provision of insurance coverage.
“KMPDU and MoH have also agreed to agree on the formula of post-graduate training of doctors and employment of more doctors,” the council announced further.
Other issues agreed upon were a basic salary as outlined by law and negotiations of a new CBA.
The agreement was reached on the same day Health Cabinet Secretary(CS) Susan Wafula announced that the government will employ 800 interns to be deployed to various public hospitals across the country.
