The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government, threatening protests if their demands are not met.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah, speaking in Nairobi, accused the government of neglecting healthcare workers by delaying salaries and failing to deliver promised pay raises.
Atellah also expressed concerns over the lack of medical insurance for health workers, terming it a serious negligence, especially given the risks they face in their duties. “We demand immediate issuance of health insurance for workers in those 40 counties,” he said.
“These salary delays have caused unforetold suffering among healthcare workers across several counties. These workers are unable to pay their rent, fuel their cars or even pay their daily utilities,” Atellah said.
“We are saying that we will not continue to see our workers in these counties straining to go to work while their salaries and welfare are ignored.”
In addition, KMPDU officials criticized county governments for failing to remit workers’ salary deductions to the revenue authority, leaving health workers in a difficult financial position.
“We have noted with concern the frustration of our workers from close to 40 counties where statutory deductions have not been remitted to some counties even up to two years,” the Union’s Secretary General claimed.
“We have seen bank loans have not been paid. It is an injustice and immoral when the said counties expect the same workers to continue working.”
Atellah vowed to mobilize healthcare professionals nationwide, including doctors, nurses, clinical officers, and laboratory technicians, if their grievances are not addressed.