Doctor's strike continues as night-long talks fail to break impasse

Top officials of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union and state officials were on Thursday night in frantic efforts to save patients in the country from agony through a meeting to end medics' strike.

The two groups held a night-long meeting ordered by the Labour Court to find a solution to the strike, which started on March 14. The doctors initially went on strike demanding the posting of interns but added other demands such as discussions on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The meeting christened as a whole-of-nation-approach dialogue called to find an amicable ground on the stalemate between doctors and the government over the 2017 CBA impasse hit a brick wall once again after close to six hours of dialogue, with both parties walking out on each other.

The Thursday meeting took place from 4.45 pm at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre VIP Pavilion to midnight.

Chief of Staff Felix Koskei, who sent the invitation letters, said he was simply responding to orders made by the Labour Court last week.

"The consultative meeting shall discuss the issues raised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union with a view of ensuring they are wholly addressed and the long-running cycle of perennial disputes that have plagued Kenya's health sector is finally broken," he said in the invitation letter.

"Accordingly and by way of this letter, the invitation is extended to all the Principal Secretaries and chief executive officers purposely copied herein."

The orders suspending the strike and mandating the talks were issued on March 15 by Justice Byram Ongaya in response to a certificate of urgency suit filed by James Kounah Advocates.

"Pending the inter-partes hearing of the pending applications or recording of a compromise as may be just and appropriate, a whole-of-nation approach is hereby instituted towards resolving the instant long-running dispute in Kenya's health sector," Justice Ongaya said.

He said Thursday's meeting should bring together the Head of Public Service, Finance CS, Public Service CS, Labour and Social Protection CS, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Public Service Commission.

Others are the Council of Governors, the Kenya Federation of Employers, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions and all national referral hospitals and the parties to the suit.

He also suspended the strike, but doctors have violated this order as many of them are still on strike.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the strike notice Ref No KMPDU/L T/125/2024 date 6-3-2024 and any strike as flowing therefrom is hereby stayed or suspended to allow the whole-of-nation approach now instituted, as well as, the ongoing negotiations and conciliation, to seek to arrive at a lasting and sustainable solution to the instant dispute," Ongaya said.

The doctors are demanding that the government immediately post medical interns and clear the basic salary arrears for doctors as per the 2017 collective bargaining agreement.

The ministry had in previous responses to the doctors said the posting and payment of interns would require Sh4.9 billion, funds that Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha says her ministry does not have.