By Lauryne Akoth
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has issued a stern warning to doctors on strike, working for the Nairobi County Government.
Addressing the press on Wednesday evening, the governor issued a 12-hour ultimatum to Nairobi doctors, demanding their return to work. Failure to comply would lead him to consider them disinterested in serving Nairobi County, thereby initiating steps to fill their positions.
“I have given the doctors of Nairobi 12 hours to show up in our hospitals. Those who want to continue working in the county of Nairobi, you have 12 hours to show up in our hospitals because the mandate I have is to ensure that I provide healthcare to the people of Nairobi,” said Sakaja.
He argued that the issues raised by KMPDU, including the national government’s failure to post medical interns and non-adherence to the doctors’ 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), were not within the county’s jurisdiction. Therefore, the Nairobi County-employed doctors should resume duty.
The Governor said that it was unfortunate that the county hospitals were suffering as a result of the strike over issues that should be addressed by the National government. He urged the KMPDU to find alternative means of resolving their issues without compromising patient care.
“I want to implore upon our KMPDU, Nairobi branch that there are different ways to show solidarity with the national branch that has issues with the national government without jeopardizing the lives of Nairobi people.”He said.
He stressed that while he respected the right of doctors to go on strike, it was not justifiable when putting patients’ lives at risk particularly when the issues were related to a different employer.
The governor noted that the doctors who will not have reported to work by Thursday morning will be deemed uninterested in working in the Nairobi county and hence would be fired. ” Those who will not show up will be seen as uninterested in working with Nairobi County and we will exercise our constitutional mandate to fill those positions.”
The governor emphasized that certain concerns raised by KMPDU, such as the placement of medical interns, fell outside the jurisdiction of county governments.
Regarding the absorption of KMPDU members whose tenure concluded with the expiration of the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services, the governor urged officials to adhere to due process and avoid protests.
He clarified that the County Public Service Board was addressing the issue and assured that doctors overlooked in the recent recruitment would be reconsidered. “In the original advertisement, some were left out but we have done an addendum that has taken more than 170 in addition to those already taken.”