President Uhuru Kenyatta meets doctors in Mombasa over strike

The doctors' union and a negotiation team from the government are meeting President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House in Mombasa over their strike.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials, led by Secretary-General Ouma Oluga, said the meeting, which started at 10am, is aimed at finding a way to end the industrial action that has led to a health crisis at public hospitals.

“They are meeting in State House, Mombasa, [and] phones are restricted to avoid mischievous recordings,” said a union official.

Allan Makokha, an executive member of KMPDU, however, said union members want a signed agreement before they can call off the strike.

“We want a registered CBA (collective bargaining agreement) and it should be implemented in phases. The government should also come up with a real framework and be ready to honour it to avoid many doctor strikes,” said Dr Makokha.

The doctors met in Mombasa over the weekend and told the government to meet their demands, including training of more specialist doctors, research funding and internship programmes.

They urged President Kenyatta to initiate a dialogue with them and seek a way of ending the strike.

“We are very honest; we are willing and available for negotiations and talks,” said Dr Oluga during a meeting of more than 100 doctors from six counties in the Coast region at the Mbaraki Sports Club.

So far, seven counties have withheld the December salaries of more than 300 striking doctors, the union disclosed.

Union officials named Mombasa, Bomet, Kwale, Siaya, Nakuru and Nairobi as among those still holding onto the doctors’ pay.

The union, however, said 40 counties had paid doctors, who are taking part in a nationwide strike aimed at forcing the government to implement an agreement the union signed with the Ministry of Health in 2013.