Crisis in Machakos as doctors issue a seven-day strike notice

The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has given the Machakos County Government a seven-day grace period to pay its doctors salaries for the months of December 2016, January and February 2017 failure to which the doctors in the county will down their tools.

In a letter dated June 7, 2017 addressed to the Machakos Governor, Dr. Alfred Mutua, KMPDU says that doctors in the county have not received to date salaries for the months they were on strike, despite the return-to-work formula they signed with the Health Cabinet Secretary (CS), Cleopha Mailu, and the then Council of Governors Chairperson, Peter Munya, on March 14.

KMPDU accuses the county government of malice, favourism and ‘contravening good labor practice’ because January and February 2017 allowances, agreed upon the agreement with the national government of implementing the controversial 2013 CBA to end the 100-day strike, have been paid to some doctors yet medical officers have not received their salaries for those months.

“May 2017 salaries have not been paid to doctors in Machakos County to date yet the return-to-work formula signed between the county government and KMPDU on August 19, 2016 clearly stipulates that salaries will be paid on or before 5^th of the following month,” the letter read.

According to KMPDU, the county government has completely disregarded the return-to-work formula they signed with the doctors to end the industrial dispute in Machakos in August 2016 by refusing to effect promotions and paying fully qualified doctors on an intern salary for the past four years.

“In this regard, we therefore ask the county government to ensure that doctors’ salaries, new allowances plus increments and that May 2017 salaries are paid immediately,” concluded KMPDU.