Doctors expected to give their stand on strike after end of negotiations

Doctors are on Tuesday expected to give their stand on the 41-day-long strike following the conclusion of negotiations with the government through the Whole of Nation Approach Committee summoned by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.

At the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) where Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials failed to turn up to sign a return-to-work agreement on Monday, Koskei said the government had agreed to postpone the signing to Tuesday.

He said the government gave medics time to conclude discussions among themselves after Monday’s meeting went on until late evening.

“We have decided that since it is becoming night, we need to give them some more time to conclude the discussion among themselves so that tomorrow, they come and we sign the return-to-work formula as agreed yesterday,” Koskei said.

The public service boss, who was accompanied by governors, said the majority of the issues had been agreed upon during a Sunday meeting and that there was hope a deal would be signed to see doctors return to work.

“We sat yesterday up to midnight and agreed on all the issues and we believe KMPDU are just being magnanimous to ensure they have wide consultation with their members. It is just an issue of time,” added Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court last Wednesday extended orders suspending the protracted doctors' strike in a bid to pave the way for further negotiations.

Since March 14, the doctors have abandoned their duty stations and have been protesting the government’s failure to post medical interns and obey a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on doctors’ labour terms.

The government has presented a Ksh.70,000 offer for the medical interns in place of the Ksh.206,000 set in the CBA, which the doctors have turned down.