President pleads with doctors to mind plight of Kenyans and return to work
Uhuru appealed to the doctors to put patriotism first before their self interests, adding that the government had already met some of the doctor’s demands as stated in their 2013 CBA.
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Speaking during a tour of Kiambu County on Saturday, the Head of State called on doctors to consider the plight of Kenyans who are suffering since the doctors down their tools.
“It is in this regard that I want to appeal to doctors to return to work so that the suffering of Kenyans can stop,” he stated.
Uhuru while appealing to the doctors to put patriotism first added that the government had already met some of the doctor’s demands as stated in their 2013 CBA.
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“In our hospitals, we have been able to install X-ray machines, Dialysis machines and even others in the short time that we have been in power,” he said as reported by a local daily.
On their part as government, the head of state said the government was willing to meet the doctors’s demands.
Critics have however blamed the president for not taking charge of the situation and even allowing some government officials from the ministry of Health of sabotaging the talks for their selfish interests.
Doctors have been on strike since December last year, demanding the implementation of a 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement awarding them a 300 per cent pay rise which has been contested by the government.
Matters were complicated further when the Employment and Labour Relations Court declared their strike illegal following by declaring the CBA illegal, and later even jailed doctor’s officials for contempt of court.
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Doctors union officials have however stood their ground and declared they will accept nothing short of the full implementation of the CBA.
Many players including COTU and the law society have tried to break the impasse to no avail. Church leaders are the latest entrants to the stalled talks and have been racing against time engaging the government and the doctors’ union officials on a return-to-work formular which should be tabled in the Appeals Court on Tuesday.
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