Nairobi- Sunday 24th April, 2024: Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has today fired a warning shot to striking doctors to either report back to work or face the sack.
Governor Sakaja accompanied President William Ruto and other leaders to the consecration service of the new cathedral at ACK St. Emmanuel Church in Bahati, Makadara constituency.
Sakaja read the riot act to doctors in Nairobi County who are on strike, that has been called by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union to resume duty and alleviate the suffering of patients at county government hospitals since the county has already seeded to their demands.
“Your Excellency the President, health is a devolved function and the national government has only about four hospitals that is; Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Nairobi Spine Center and Mathari Mental Hospital so the other doctors should be striking against county governments not the national government,” Sakaja explained.
“Nairobi has 160 hospitals and the doctors in Nairobi counties tabled their grievances which included the recruitment of interns, provision of a medical cover and lateness in the payment of their salaries. The Nairobi county government has already worked on their demands. Only national government hospitals require mandatory interns not the county government hospitals. On insurance, my administration has provided a comprehensive medical insurance scheme to the tune of Ksh 2 billion per month for our doctors and the salaries of every worker in Nairobi county is disbursed on time so no doctor can claim that their salary is late, In-fact, if any of our doctors has a debt with you and they tell you that they have not received their salary, it is a lie. We pay them on time,” Sakaja announced.
Narrating how he went round hospitals in the dark of the night last week, Sakaja said that he made checks at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital on Friday at Midnight and found there were medical supplies. He went to Mbagathi Hospital where a woman in pain and distress had not been attended to and had to be referred to KNH who declined to admit her before the family went to seek for medical attention at a private institution.
“I went to Mama Lucy and Mbagathi at midnight. I found a lady in distress but the nurses refused to attend to her. Now her life was at risk yet, the medical practitioners, who have no reason to strike could not attend to her. I told the doctors to get back to work and on Friday, 60 percent of doctors in Nairobi reported to work,” Sakaja said.
“I have written a circular to the remaining 40 percent of striking doctors to report back to work as an ultimatum and if they don’t want to work, we have many other qualified doctors who are looking for jobs in our hospitals because we cannot play around with the lives of our people yet the county government has done all that the doctors are demanding. You should strike against your employer and in this case, doctors should strike against their employers who are the counties and we have done our part so they have no reason to strike,” Sakaja noted.
Weighing in on the housing debate, Sakaja sought to assure the residents of Bahati that they would be no evictions but residents will be relocated in phases and will return to own houses once the houses in the housing project gets completed.
He also promised to allocate some space to the church that will be used as a parking lot.
Also in the President’s entourage were Makadara member of parliament George Aladwa, Kasarani MP Captain Ronald Karauri, Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda, former Makadara MP Benson Mutira, UDA MP Aspirant Antony Waithaka and a battery of MCAs.