Police Shoot KMPDU Sec Gen Davji Atellah During Nairobi Protest
On Thursday, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officially verified that Davji Atellah, its Secretary General, was shot by the police while he was leading a protest with medical interns in Nairobi.
Without going into more specifics, the Union issued a statement denouncing the incident and suggested mobilizing its members to protest the government’s neglect of the challenges faced by doctors in the nation.
At the time this article was released, uncertainty persisted regarding the location where the Secretary-General was shot and the extent of the injury.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the shooting of our SG Davji Attelah by the police this afternoon when he was leading the Medical interns in a peaceful march. The doctors of Kenya have endured enough! This is the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” read the statement.
Previously, online images depicting the wounded SG emerged, causing anger among both healthcare professionals and the general population in Kenya.
Photographs on Gossipa2z.com depicted Atellah undergoing medical care at Nairobi Hospital after the incident of the shooting.
Meanwhile, the protest ended as police abruptly dispersed the interns.
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The Western Kenya branch of the KMPDU has convened an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
The demonstration follows a previous announcement on January 31 by doctors, who cautioned about a potential three-day strike due to concerns regarding the criteria employed for the placement of medical interns.
At the press briefing that day, Atellah, who was in charge, granted the Ministry of Health a one-month period to recruit interns. Failure to do so would result in doctors nationwide going on strike.
“We write to inform you of our intention to conduct a peaceful procession concerning the delayed posting of medical interns and the payment of fees for postgraduate students. The procession is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 29th February 2024, commencing at 9:30 am,” Atellah commented.
He pledged to gather the placement letters from the interns on the specified date in case the Ministry did not dispatch them.
Subsequently, the interns organized a protest outside the Ministry of Health, expressing their grievances after their demands were ignored.
Police Shoot KMPDU Sec Gen Davji Atellah During Nairobi Protest
