Doctor’s Strike Unveils Hidden Talents: Creativity, Wit, and Proper Handwriting Take Center Stage
For more than a month, Kenyan doctors have been dominating both the news and the streets as their dispute with the government seems to deteriorate with each passing day.
Initially a potential danger, the situation quickly escalated into a chaotic confrontation on the streets, culminating in an incident where Dr. Davji Atellah, the Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), was hit in the head by a teargas canister as police intervened to quell the protests in their early stages.
After the shooting of Dr. Atellah, tensions escalated further as the doctors pledged to escalate their efforts to confront the government, intensifying the competition to demonstrate superiority.
Initially, the doctors adhered to a straightforward approach, as anticipated. They would venture out onto the streets, engage in peaceful picketing, minimize disruption, and subsequently withdraw.
However, as their appeals continued to be ignored, the healthcare professionals rejuvenated their approach on the streets, seemingly drawing inspiration from the forceful demonstrations against the government that erupt periodically following each general election.
Inspired by Dr. Atellah’s shooting and the uncompromising positions adopted by the government, the medical professionals embraced a militant approach, abandoning their previous restraint and opting to make a bold statement on the streets.
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The doctors exhibited unwavering determination, resilience, and innovative approaches in their efforts to convey their message and challenge the authorities, evident in both their impassioned press conferences and public appearances.
Just like their spontaneous declarations on the streets, their placards also conveyed a clear message.
Kenyans, long accustomed to doctors’ notorious illegible handwriting, were pleasantly astonished to discover that physicians could indeed produce clear and readable sentences, devoid of the dramatic scribbles they were infamous for.
X influencer Juma G noted the occurrence, writing, “During the Doctors’ strike in Kenya, the doctors have displayed the best of handwriting on their placards. The other one on prescriptions is usually just showing off. In the CBA, they add a subsection for “Handwriting”…”
Kenyans enjoyed an entertaining display of clever language and memorable quips from the doctors, demonstrating that they were far more than simply professionals in blue aprons.
One placard read: “3 Words… Lipa. Kama. Tender.”
Another read: “47k… Kwani ni online writing?”
While another read, “Nuisance tuko kwa streets. Public mko?”
One doctor even strutted around in a white apron written, “70K? Labda waajiri mganga kutoka Kitui!”
ALSO READ: If You Support Doctors’ Strike, Pay The Money They’re Asking For – Ruto Tells Leaders
Across the country, the messaging got funnier and livelier. One other doctor even carried a blue placard reading: “Ruto auze mshipi alipe madaktari!”
And, to further demonstrate their ingenuity, they even found a cute little name for the Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha – they baptized her, “Susan Nakufinya!”
Seemingly packed with relentless energy and sneering symbolism, doctors in Eldoret even parodied Second Lady Dorcas Gachagua by kneeling down and ‘praying for the patients and the government of Uasin Gishu County.’
Social commentator Gabriel Oguda, who has been keeping track of the slightest development in the rigmarole, tweeted: “Pastor Dorcas said she’ll pray for the doctors’ strike to end, so doctors in Eldoret decided to troll her today. Bwana, someone tells the driver to alight me at that electricity pole. That is my stage.”
As things stand, there seems to be no let up in the medics drama – the county governments have remained stubborn, the Health CS has refused to budge, the KMPDU Secretary General keeps unleashing a new pair of fangs and the fellows from Treasury just won’t dare heed to that salary demand.
But all in all, it seems, that the messier it gets, the better the concert for bored Kenyans and idle onlookers.
Doctor’s Strike Unveils Hidden Talents: Creativity, Wit, and Proper Handwriting Take Center Stage