By Peter Ochieng
Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has announced stern measures against striking doctors.
Nyong’o in a statement seen by Nairobi Review said his administration had decided to stop payment to all striking healthcare workers.
The decision, he said was arrived at during a cabinet meeting in the Lakeside county.
According to the second term governor, healthcare workers have absconded duty, hence do not deserve to recieve any remuneration.
“In accordance with the Labour Relations Act, the county will not provide remuneration for work not performed. Therefore, healthcare workers who have not been present at their designated workplace and have withdrawn their services will not be remunerated for the corresponding period,” Nyong’o said in a signed statement.
The governor added that the county is urgently seeking to employ doctors on short term contracts.
The move is aimed towards ensuring smooth provision of health services at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Refferal Hospital (JOOTRH), popularly known as Russia.
He insisted that Kisumu County has met a big percentage of the demands made by the striking doctors, which include continuous employment of medics, providing them with a comprehensive medical scheme, releasing them for further studies and effecting promotions.
“We have always made extra efforts to pay salaries on time with contingency plans in place whenever funds are not received in time from the national treasury. A circular has been issued for all staff to access mortgage and car loan schemes,” he added.
Doctors have been on strike for a month now, pushing for among others, the implementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and the posting of intern doctors.
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary Davji Atellah insists that doctors will only go back to work, after their demands are met.
“Despite government pressure, doctors’ salaries, anchored on CBA, are non-negotiable. We won’t compromise on fair compensation for our hard work. It’s unjust to target us for wage bill control while state officers enjoy hefty paychecks,” he wrote in a post on X, on Sunday.
His post came as reaction to president Ruto’s stand, that the country’s wage bill makes it difficult for the government to meet doctors demands.
“It is important for us to agree that we must live within our means. We cannot continue to spend the money we do not have,” said the president.
He added that the country is spending Sh1.1 trillion of the Sh2.2 trillion collected as taxes every year, on payment of salaries and wages.
On the other hand, the Azimio coalition has threatened to join the doctors strike, if the government fails to act towards ending the industrial action.
