Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Tuesday, April 9, directed law enforcement agencies to protect the public against service disruption by the doctors’ strike.
The CS also ordered the security agencies to protect the non-striking health workers against threats and intimidation by the striking doctors.
Kindiki while issuing the orders, stated that some of the striking health workers were intimidating and threatened violence against health workers who had resorted not to participate in the demos.
According to the CS, the demonstrating doctors had repeatedly threatened to disrupt service delivery in health institutions to interfere with daily activities.
“Gatherings, protests or whatever other action(s) in pursuit of grievances outside the law and in breach of court directives constitutional order undermines the Country and are, therefore, not permissible,” Kindiki stated.
Kindiki further noted that the action by the doctors to demonstrate contravened the directive issued by the Labour Relations court.
"Court ordered the parties in the ongoing industrial dispute in the health sector to engage in conciliation and negotiation proceedings within 14 days and thereafter file in court a memorandum of understanding," read CS Kindiki's statement in part.
CS Kindiki's directive comes days after the doctors vowed to continue with their demonstrations after rejecting the government's Kh2.4 billion offer.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto on April 7, clarified that the government was not in a position to meet the financial demands of the striking doctors.
According to Ruto, the government was however ready to pay intern doctors Ksh70,000 for one year as he called for an end to the strike.
"I know we have a situation in Kenya with our doctors and interns. I want to implore them that it is important for us as a nation that we must live within our means," Ruto stated.
"We cannot continue to spend the money we do not have. I am telling the doctors that we mind them and we value the service that they give to our nation but we must live within our means."
