Nakhumicha’s No-Show Sparks Negotiation Deadlock with Doctors
The ongoing discussions between the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Health Ministry on Wednesday, March 27, came to a standstill when the Health Ministry refused to participate in the negotiations.
On their social media platforms, KMPDU vented their frustrations regarding the decision, pointing out that the negligence exhibited by the team led by Susan Nakhumicha demonstrated the government’s failure to listen to the concerns of its citizens.
The talks between the two factions were focused on resolving the deadlock and putting an end to the ongoing doctors’ strike, now on its fourteenth day.
“Despite our openness to discussions and negotiations, it’s disheartening that our government has abandoned the negotiation table, failing its citizens,” KMPDU stated.
“The ongoing doctors’ strike highlights their disregard for public health. It’s not the doctors on strike, it’s the government.”
Previously, Anne Waiguru, the chairperson of the Council of Governors, cautioned the doctors to end the strike and return to their designated workplaces, emphasizing that failure to do so would result in strict measures being implemented against them.
“We ask the doctors to show goodwill and return to work as negotiations go on. We also call upon the doctors to return to work under court orders issued on March 13, 2024, and March 15, 2024,” Waiguru noted.
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“Failure to which, the respective county governments, who are their employers, will be at liberty to take any appropriate disciplinary action.”
Waiguru additionally urged the KMPDU to engage in discussions for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with county administrations as a gesture of goodwill if they decide to end the strike.
“We encourage the union to negotiate the new CBAs with the county governments who are their employers. This cannot be negotiated from the national level because health is a devolved function. We urge the county governments and the doctors to exercise sobriety as parties resolve these matters amicably,” she added.
After the statement from the Council of Governors (CoG), Davji Atellah, the Secretary General of KMPDU, reiterated his position that doctors would not be coerced into returning to work.
He implored the Health Ministry to uphold the agreements, warning that if they didn’t, the strike would persist.
“We went to court and got a judgment that went against all the 47 counties and the Ministry of Health to demand that payment, they have not complied. So you cannot go to the table of negotiation with dirty hands, you have to clean your hands before you engage us and tell us to comply with a court order.”
Nakhumicha’s No-Show Sparks Negotiation Deadlock with Doctors
