[Hold] OPINION: Live Within Your Means, Unlike Us, the Paragons of fiscal responsibility

Kenya's doctors are on strike yet again, proof that the government's promises are a house of cards in a storm, unable to stand.

What's worse is that negotiations keep failing, with the government most recently unilaterally signing a deal after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Denstists Unions walked out of talks for the unfulfillment of its key demands.

Contrary to popular belief, the doctors aren't staging a strike solely to fatten their wallets with salary increments. Their primary grievance lies in the government's failure to honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement forged in 2017 with the KMPDU, following a strike that lasted a record 100 days.

The 2017 CBA stipulated a monthly gross wage of Sh206,000 for medical interns but the reality is far from it, with the offer from the Health ministry under President William Ruto's administration offering between Sh40,000 and Sh70,000.

The disillusionment hits harder when the interns share their experiences. One displayed her payslip on national television, showing her pay had been slashed from Sh206,000 to Sh139,000 after taxes and other deductions.

It's a cruel twist of fate for those who have dedicated years to their medical education only to be met with broken promises and financial uncertainty at the start of their careers. Still, the clarion call has been for doctors to get back to work and live within their means since patients in desperate need of medical care are running out of time.

Where the esteemed Kenyan government is concerned, it appears to be a case of 'Do as I say, not as I do', because the government has, time and again, been put on the spot for unnecessary spending and other scandals.

Most notable is that the expenditure at President William Ruto's official residence amounted to nearly Sh5.37 billion in the six months, against a target of 4.92 billion, overshooting its budget by Sh447 million.

Also, taxpayers will fork out sh795 million for renovations at the State House in Nairobi, the largest upgrade of the 117-year-old building.

And when it comes to the office of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the auditor-general flagged a Sh10 million expense on curtains last year.

Also curious is that the doctors' demands come as the government tightens measures to reduce the national wage bill from an alarming 47 per cent of national revenue to 35 per cent.

But even as the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) presided over the 3rd National Wage Bill Conference in mid-April and the presidency issued strict instructions for reducing the bloated wage bill, it was announced that from July 1, the president's salary would increase from Sh1.5 million to Sh1.6 million per month, alongside those of other state offices.

Counties have also been in the limelight for irresponsible spending. In Nairobi, the capital city, the auditor-general found the county's assembly could not account for more than sh905 million.

This included Sh258 million for unsupported salary advances, unsupported Sh36 million for foreign travel, Sh12 million for unsupported local travel, Sh279 million for unsupported vehicle reimbursement, and Sh310 million for misclassification of expenditure.

In the case of Kirinyaga County, whose chief Anne Waiguru is the Council of Governors (CoG) chair, one notable case cocnerns a contract award to a company known as Shiloki Enterprises Ltd.

On July 31, 2023, Shiloki won a contract to supply an executive chair for Waiguru's office at a cost of Sh648,000.

And at government agencies like the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), more than Sh12 million was spent on conferences and outside catering. Ironical is that the agency spent Sh1.7 million on a conference in Mombasa to review its accounts department's performance.

Another alarming case was of the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board, which paid Sh1.2 million for calendars.

Why, then, must doctors be the ones to compromise their demands under the government's guise of fiscal responsibility?

Also worth mentioning are the instructions from government officials, such as Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, for police commanders to deal strictly with striking doctors, yet it is their right to picket and demand better from the government.

It is perplexing when individuals with impressive academic credentials and professional backgrounds appear to be complicit where the law and human rights are concerned.

Another concern is the effectiveness of Kenya's faith diplomacy, with the country seemingly praying everything away without taking the required action.

What then should a country like Kenya, where it pours when it rains, do to change its handling of critical issues such as a nationwide doctors' strike?

Here's to hoping that this newfound frugality lasts longer than the echo of a closing cash register!