Munya tells governors to sack doctors if they fail to end strike

Council of Governors (CoG) chairman Peter Munya has urged county bosses to issue sacking letters to striking doctors if they fail to resume work.

The Meru governor has told doctors that the 40 per cent pay increase negotiated with the government is the best deal they will receive, noting that doctors in other countries are paid less.

“Our striking doctors need to consider the package the government is offering them. Our neighbouring countries pay much less than the salaries our medics are currently receiving,” he noted.

Appealing to the doctors to agree to the State’s offer, Mr Munya said counties would have to look for alternatives if they continue to demand more.

“We cannot sit and watch the people who elected us suffer while we can replace striking doctors. They must report to their work stations, failure to which the affected counties will lay them off,” he noted.

Mr Munya was speaking in Nanyuki Town on Thursday during the opening of Party of National Unity (PNU) offices where he rallied support for his party ahead of the August elections.

He insisted that governors are still willing to sit down with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union officials and reach an agreement but said they are running out of patience.

“We have been committed and still (are) committed to see to it that the doctors resume work. If they are open-minded and have realistic demands, you can be sure the strike will be called off,” he said.

The strike has crippled health services as talks between doctors, the government and CoG have failed to yield results.

Religious leaders have also appealed to doctors to resume work, saying they should value life over financial gains.