KMPDU SG Davji Atellah says he cracked skull, got brain haemorrhage from Thursday shooting

Lying on his hospital bed, the Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union Davji Atellah has recounted to Citizen TV how he found himself on the wrong side of the barrel that fired the tear gas canister that sent him straight to a hospital.

He was at the forefront of the protests meant to compel the Ministry of Health to post medical interns when suddenly he was hit at close range by a tear gas canister. The unionist says it was a deliberate attempt to muzzle him.

“This police [officer] was targeting me when I was doing the procession because he pointed at me and shot. It was a clear attempt at assassination and a clear attempt to eliminate me from the procession that we were having,” Atellah says.

“From this, I got an epidural hematoma and a skull crack. I’ve been in the HDU for the third day now. There is no reason why a peaceful procession should be met with such a force.”

Dr Denis Miskellah, the Deputy Secretary General of the doctors union says until the Inspector General of Police prosecutes the rogue officer accused of shooting Davji, KMPDU will not treat him or any police officer.

“KMPDU will not and shall not treat any member of the national police service or the officer accused of shooting Davji we won’t treat him,” says Miskellah.

On Sunday, the Law Society of Kenya paid him a visit, before addressing a media briefing to condemn the attack.

LSK president-elect Faith Odhiambo has cautioned the government against returning the country to the dark days when citizens could not question or challenge the government and asked the inspector general of police to institute prosecution against the police officer who fired the shot at close range.

“Here today we see a situation where the SG was shot directly at by one of the police officers and it’s quite clear from the video footage we have seen that it was a direct aim at him. To say it was an accident is unacceptable,” she said.

“We cannot have rogue police officers taking the law into their hands. We are under a new dispensation; the constitution allows people to come together and articulate the issues that they have.”

The medics have said they will hold demonstrations on Monday and lead a procession to the National Treasury and Interior Ministry, and issue notice for a seven-day strike notice.

The medics have threatened to cripple service in both public and private hospitals in a nationwide strike, until the Ministry of Health posts medical interns and remits school fees for postgraduate students taking specialisation courses.

“We have begun our go slow, it began on Saturday and tomorrow after the demos we will issue a seven-day national strike notice we will show our displeasure at how the SG has been treated but also compel the govt to pay school fees for the doctors and post interns,” said Miskellah.

The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General Seth Panyako has threatened that nurses across the country will join the expected doctor's strike if those responsible for the shooting of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah will not be arrested.