Doctors stationed at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret have formally sounded the alarm, issuing a 14-day strike notice to protest what they term as blatant violation of agreements and worsening working conditions.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), through Secretary General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah, on Wednesday announced the strike notice, citing persistent employer belligerence and a string of unmet obligations—key among them the failure to honour a Return-to-Work Formula (RTWF) signed on February 19, 2025.
Dr. Atellah decried what he described as a systematic disregard for workers’ welfare, revealing that MTRH doctors currently do not have comprehensive medical cover, a basic entitlement in any decent healthcare system.
Also at the centre of the storm is the non-payment of basic salary arrears and the continued employment of doctors on contract terms, with no transition to permanent and pensionable employment despite repeated promises.
“We have received WhatsApp messages, calls, and emails from members here that loudly express desperation, disillusionment, and despair on the very core matter of personal healthcare access and decent working conditions,” said the KMPDU boss in an earlier statement.
“Offering services you cannot receive when in need, and moreso for your loved ones, is a paradox! Doctors have no medical insurance. The discrimination regarding the unimplemented basic salary arrears cannot be ignored any further.”
To chart the way forward, KMPDU called for a physical members’ kamkunji on Wednesday where they resolved to down their tools.
The union’s four core demands now are: full implementation of the Return-to-Work Formula; provision of a comprehensive medical cover; immediate payment of salary arrears; and conversion of contract doctors to permanent and pensionable terms.
“The national team has made it clear that we shall leave no doctor behind, and we will use all mechanisms to resolve our members’ issues. Agreements must be honored and respected, RTWF must be implemented and justice must always prevail,” Dr. Atellah noted in the statement.
“Justice, fairness and dignity demand our collective action; in the boardrooms; on the streets and in the media. Most importantly, we need a common voice and common action directed at the belligerent employer.”
Source: RMS
