Over 600 doctors to hold special conference in Nairobi over upcoming strike

Over 600 doctors from different parts of the country will convene at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi on Saturday, November 30, for a Special Delegates Conference (SDC) to deliberate on the upcoming national strike following unfulfilled promises by the government.

In a notice issued by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah, the doctors shall decide whether to down their tools for either 14 days or a maximum of 21 days in protests of the conditions that medical officers are facing due to delays in salary payments. 

The SDC was occasioned by the death of a medical intern, Dr. Francis Njuki who reportedly died by suicide last week due to frustrations from his job.

Following the intern's death, the KMPDU SG demanded the government to fulfill its promises, failure to which he would issue a strike notice before the end of the year. 

Further, he acknowledged that the State had failed to honour the return-to-work formula at the end of a 56-day strike earlier in the year.  

"We are going to give notice for a nationwide strike for all the doctors. We have the Special Delegates Conference (SDC) which then will determine whether we are going for seven or 14 days but at most 21 days," he said.

The doctors' grievances emanated from a directive from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) that proposed a reduction of the interns' stipends from Ksh.206,000 to around Ksh.70,000.

KMPDU, however, opposed the proposal, citing that it would downgrade the interns' critical role in the healthcare service.

This led to a 56-day strike that rocked the country's health sector in mid-May 2024.

The doctors, however, returned to work after signing a deal that would prompt the government to pay salary arrears amounting to Ksh.3.5 billion over the next five years and improve the doctors' working conditions.