We will not work without pay, Nairobi doctors tell Kidero

Doctors in Nairobi County took to the streets on Wednesday to protest delayed salaries.

Led by the National Secretary General of Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPPDU) Dr Ouma Oluga, the doctors vowed to stay put until the county government pays their dues for the past six months.

The doctors accused the county government of hoarding their money, despite their numerous efforts to try and get payment from the county offices.

“We come to City Hall to have our issues addressed but the attendants themselves don’t even care, and instead they turn as away,” said one doctor from Mbagathi District Hospital.

While addressing the doctors at City Hall, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero promised to have their salaries paid immediately to their accounts and asked them to go back to work, a request the doctors declined.

“We do not have money to go back to work, and the county government has been treating us like second class citizens. We want tangible evidence before we go back to work,” said Mr Oluga while responding to the governor.

Elsewhere, activities at the Mbagathi District Hospital were at a standstill, with families seen moving their relatives from the hospital to the Kenyatta National Hospital due to the absence of doctors.

Other hospitals affected by the strike include Pumwani, Mama Lucy, Lang’ata, Dagoretti Health Center among others.