The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has postponed planned demonstrations to allow for ongoing negotiations with the government regarding doctors’ grievances.
The protests, originally scheduled for May 7, have been rescheduled to an undisclosed date.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has announced the postponement of planned demonstrations that were set to take place on Tuesday, May 7. In a letter to union members, KMPDU Secretary-General Davji Atellah stated that the peaceful protests have been rescheduled to an unspecified date. The decision to postpone the demonstrations is aimed at allowing ongoing negotiations with the government to address doctors’ grievances.
Since March 14, doctors have been protesting the government’s failure to fulfill various obligations, including the posting of medical interns and adherence to a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) outlining doctors’ labor terms. Despite negotiations involving the Ministry of Health, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, and the Head of Public Service, talks have remained unproductive. The government’s offer of Ksh.70,000 for medical interns, significantly lower than the Ksh.206,000 set in the CBA, has been rejected by the doctors. In the most recent discussions, doctors walked out on the government.