‘We will not bow down!’ Striking doctors tell off CS Kagwe over sacking threats

Doctors in the country have vowed to go on with their industrial action unless their demands are met, telling Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe to cease from making perceivably harmless threats against them.

The doctors, addressing a press conference on Wednesday, told CS Kagwe to stop playing politics with their lives, adding that they refuse to be trapped in slavery.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) NBairobi Secretary Dr. Thuranira Kaugiria, during the presser, said the strike is legal since there is no existing court order baring it.

“You (CS Kagwe) will issue threats, sacking letters, but we will not bow down to a non-responsive government wing…You told us you released PPEs, where are they?” Posed Dr. Thuranira.

“You are playing politics with doctors’ health..KNH you have not paid salaries for December…NMS has become rogue worse than our employers…We will still strike, we are ready (to strike) for 100 days, there is no court order barring us.”

KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Chibanzi Mwachonda, on his part, slammed the Council of Governors (CoG) for allegedly attempting to intimidate doctors.

“CoG, you were not elected to intimidate, fire or threaten workers…it is not an issue of money, we will nit be slaves in this country…demands must be addressed,” said Dr. Mwachonda.

CS Kagwe on Tuesday said all healthcare workers who continue engaging in the industrial action risk losing their jobs terming it as illegal.

According to the CS, the healthcare workers are banking on rhetorics rather than choosing to acknowledge what has so far been done by the national and county governments.

However, despite the endless threats of being fired, healthcare care workers continued with their strike demanding their employers to act responsibly if at all they were to resume work.

CoG has since issued a raft of measures to be taken against healthcare workers engaged in the strike, advising that salaries of employees who have not rendered their services as well as those engaged in post graduate training at the national referral hospitals be effectively stopped.

The council also advised that advertisement for the positions where employees have abdicated their responsibilities be started.