‘It was an assassination attempt!’ KMPDU boss Davji Atellah speaks on police assault

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah has just regained his consciousness and strength to speak, a day after he was injured during peaceful protests on Thursday.

Dr. Atellah was struck by a teargas canister in an incident which has sparked widespread condemnation of the excessive force used by the police.

Speaking from his hospital bed at the Nairobi Hospital, the KMPDU boss narrated how he was shot at from a close range by an officer whom he has identified as the OCS at Capital Hill Police Station, Evans Kangangi.

“We were just moving down in a procession then the police came and parked in front of us and immediately, we were about 200 meters away, and the first shot he took hit my head,” recalled Dr. Atellah.

Having gone through total pandemonium after being shot, the medical union leader now believes he was the target of an assassination.

“I was very scared...I thought that because the bleeding was profuse and I did not know the degree of the injury. The interns picked me up and took me to a Good Samaritan who drove me to the hospital,” he explained.

KMPDU Deputy Secretary General Dr. Dennis Miskellah reiterated Dr. Atellah’s remarks saying; “This point-blank headshot had no other intention than to kill Davji, especially after the same officer had earlier aimed at the SG and shot at him.”

“The Secretary-General suffered a head injury and underwent surgery at the Nairobi Hospital and is currently in the High Dependency Unit (HDU.”

Dr. Atellah went on to reveal that; “When I came here (Nairobi Hospital), I was stitched like 12 times…there’s internal bleeding.”

The KMPDU boss had, in a letter to the Nairobi Regional Police Commander, announced a peaceful protest in Nairobi on Thursday over the delayed posting of medical interns and the payment of fees for postgraduate students.

The medics marched from the Kenya Medical Association Centre in the Upper Hill area to The Ministry of Health offices and were proceeding to the National Treasury headquarters in the city centre before they were dispersed by the police.

The doctors’ union, while condemning the incident, vowed to down tools and proceed on a nationwide protest from Monday next week.

“Expiring tonight midnight, if we do not have the demands responded to, every doctor will walk out of every hospital,” Dr. Miskellah said.

The repercussions of Thursday’s police actions will significantly impact the broader public, particularly if medical professionals live up to their threats to go on strike.