'Stop the arrogance and sit down!' Martha Karua blasts Ruto over response to striking doctors

Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua has shot down President William Ruto’s sentiments that the government does not have funds to pay the striking doctors, noting that the government has instead failed in its duty.

Speaking in Naivasha on Monday, Karua lashed out at President Ruto over lavish spending by the government while Kenyans are crying over a hike in the price of commodities.

“Stop the arrogance of chest-thumping, sit down and talk to the doctors. You cannot say there is no money yet we see you splashing our money on luxury items. The tea alone taken at State House is enough to meet the doctor’s demands,” she said.

She said that the ongoing suffering and strike is in the hands of the president who has continued to with foreign visits as the sick continued to suffer.

“It is unconscionable for the regime to continue splashing taxpayers’ money on non-essential luxury items like motor vehicles, new pavilions in Stat House and fancy umbrellas,” Karua said.

Karua spoke after meeting the party officials and supporters at Sawela Lodge. She decried the status of public hospitals which she said lack adequate staff and medical supplies.

President Ruto on Sunday broke his silence on the ongoing doctors' strike and told them off over demands on salary increments and interns’ allowance, saying the country is struggling with a huge wage bill.

The Head of State said the country is spending Ksh.1.1 trillion every year of the Ksh.2.2 trillion collected on payment of salaries and wages.

“It is important for us to agree that we must live within our means. We cannot continue to spend the money we do not have,” President Ruto said.

However, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) vowed that doctors would not back down from holding street protests despite the president’s comments.

KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah said they will not accept being the "scapegoats for wage bill reduction" and their demands remain on the table.

"Despite government pressure, doctors' salaries, anchored on CBA, are non-negotiable. We won't compromise on fair compensation for our hard work. It's unjust to target us for wage bill control while state officers enjoy hefty paychecks," he wrote on X.

"We stand united against exploitation."

Last week, the government made a Ksh.2.4 billion offer to doctors which was set to help iron out the ongoing standoff and allow for the posting of all eligible medical student interns.

The doctors rejected the offer as KMPDU Chairman Abi Mwachi and Secretary General Davji Atellah argued that it has not fully honoured the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Atellah has announced that the strike will continue, with a march on Tuesday, April 9. This is the fourth week since doctors downed tools on March 14.