By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
President William Ruto has hit out at political leaders who are in support of the ongoing doctors’ strike.
The President noted that salaries for the doctors were real issues that his administration wanted to deal with.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the Head of State went further to challenge those supporting the strike, including governors to pay what the doctors are demanding.
“We have a doctors’ challenge, we can hardly pay because there are real issues we want to deal with then we have leaders including governors saying they support the doctors’ strike. Really,” Ruto said.
“If you support the doctors’ strike, pay the money they are asking for,” he added.
The President spoke as the strike approaches its first month.
Several leaders, mostly in the opposition have asked the government to accept the demands that doctors are making.
They include former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Odinga while calling for the two sides to negotiate for the sake of Kenyans said the doctors deserve better pay.
“I am convinced that the doctors and all other health workers currently on strike will be able to craft a return-to-work formula and resume duty if the government were to meet their demands halfway while negotiations continue,” the ODM leader told a media briefing last week.
Siaya Governor James Orengo has also sided with the striking medics.
The doctors want implementation of the now-contentious 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that sets salaries of medical interns at Ksh206,000 per month.
The government, with the backing of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), says it can only afford to pay the interns Ksh70,000.
But doctors insist the Ksh206,000 is what they negotiated for and must be paid before they return to work.
The strike has had a negative effect on access to health facilities across the country.
