Back and forth as Dr Amoth, Atellah differ over implementation of CBA

Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV’s News Night Show on Tuesday, Dr Amoth reaffirmed a statement by State House Chief of Staff Felix Koskei where the latter said all accrued Basic Salary Arrears by the medical workers in the 2017 CBA had been paid in full on the same day.

He went on to lightly say that after the Treasury had disbursed the funds to doctors, union members currently owe the Ministry Ksh.81,000.

“We have paid outstanding salary arrears...the matter has been sorted out by the National government and the KMPDU members at the National Government money has been paid to the last cent. If I talk to the people in the accounts in the ministry, it is the Union members that owe the ministry Ksh.81,000,” said Amoth.

KMPDU boss who was on a call at the time of the interview however rebutted the Director General’s remarks instead saying that no union member had received any money. He said the medics owe the Ministry a total of about Ksh.3 billion since 2017.

“There are no payments that have been done by the government regarding the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2017/2021 although we have had discussions and meetings on the whole of 2023,” Dr Atellah stated.

In a rebuttal, Dr Amoth dismissed Atellah’s claim insisting that the funds had been deposited in doctors' accounts and that he (Atellah), being a union leader in Nakuru was in no capacity to confirm the payment in his bank account. 

“Davji is not an employee of the National Government so you don’t expect us to be able to pay him when he works for Nakuru County. The members have received the remuneration,” Amoth insisted.

Koskei on Tuesday said the government had extended an olive branch to the health workers and would post all the eligible medical student interns from Thursday this week.

He also said the 2017 CBA had been implemented and that eligible medical workers would also receive grants and scholarships for their postgraduate education, as demanded by KMPDU.