KMPDU announces MTRH doctors' strike after talks collapse

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has formally announced a strike by doctors at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) following what it terms as collapsed talks.

KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah, in a statement to newsrooms on Tuesday, said the strike commences at midnight on February 4, 2025, noting that the facility’s management has shown contempt and general lack of willingness to resolve issues raised by the doctors in a notice issued on January 22, 2025.

In the said notice, the medics noted that the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) signed on July 30, 2017 as well as July 6, 2021 were reneged by the management.

They also raised a myriad of welfare issues among them failure to convert contractual terms to permanent and pensionable terms, unpaid arrears dating back to 2020, as well as failure to remit statutory deductions.

“We are notified that MTRH has been extending unfair labour practices on doctors including irregular employment, irregular contracts, denial of leaves and lack of medical cover, no career progression for affected doctors, denied gratuities and pensions for affected doctors,” stated Dr. Atellah in the notice.

“Further, MTRH has been employing other staff on full term basis while discriminating doctors by subjecting them to poor contractual terms.”

He added: "Failure to remit third party deductions to the respective institutions including bank loans, investment policies, Sacco and pension deductions, SHA deductions etc for several months. This has led to accrued arrears and penalties to the affected doctors.”

The KMPDU boss further accused the MTRH management of failing to promote doctors in senior positions, as well as failure to register the CBA 2021-2025 hence leaving doctors to miss out on benefits such as equipment allowance and release to school.