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Nyeri County, Kenya – In a stern response to the ongoing nationwide doctors’ strike, the Nyeri County government has halted salary payments for 59 out of 62 striking doctors and threatened to dismiss them if they do not return to work immediately.
Speaking at a press conference on April 9, 2024, Governor Mutahi Kahiga issued a directive to the Department of County Public Service Management and County Treasury to stop salary payments to the striking doctors.
He argued that the county is struggling to deliver medical services to its residents, despite having 139 healthcare workers on the payroll.
“The government is now left with no option but to take action against the striking doctors,” Kahiga stated.
“I hereby instruct the Department of County Public Service Management and County Treasury to stop salary payments of those doctors in strike.”
The County chief further faulted the doctors for defying orders, which he said has posed a great risk to the health of Nyeri County residents and others seeking medical care from outside the area.
“The county issued 62 letters to doctors on strike, and only three responded,” Governor Kahiga revealed.
Acting in his capacity as the Chairman of the Labour Committee in the Council of Governors (CoG), Mutahi Kahiga maintained that discussions are underway at both the National and the County government levels to resolve the issues in the health sector.
On April 6, the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli announced plans to mediate talks between the doctors and the government to end the ongoing strike.
“We cannot make a decision for the government or doctors but we can narrow the gap on issues and get a Return to Work Formula,” Atwoli stated.
President William Ruto, on the other hand, has maintained that the country is in no capacity to pay intern doctors as per their wishes, insisting that the stipend will remain at Ksh70,000 per month for the first year before they are absorbed as full doctors.