In Nairobi, Kenya, hundreds of hospital doctors took to the streets on Tuesday in protest as the nationwide strike by medical professionals entered its fourth week.
Riot police monitored the demonstration, which was unauthorized by the authorities, with about a dozen officers in pickup trucks present.
The strike, initiated by members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), comprising approximately 7,000 members, began on March 13.
The doctors are demanding improved pay and working conditions, leading to disruptions in healthcare services across the country’s 57 public hospitals.
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Clad in white lab coats and making noise with horns and whistles, the doctors marched towards the health ministry, blocking entrance gates as they chanted “solidarity forever.”
KMPDU’s deputy secretary-general, Dennis Miskellah, expressed the doctors’ willingness to return to work but emphasized that the government’s efforts to address their concerns have been insufficient to alleviate human suffering.
Despite the government’s offer last week, which included payment of arrears under a 2017 collective bargaining agreement and hiring trainee doctors on permanent contracts, the union rejected it.
Following a labour court order in March to suspend the strike and a subsequent 14-day deadline set for negotiations, Kenyan President William Ruto ruled out further concessions on Sunday, citing the need to manage expenses.
The issue of poor salaries and working conditions has prompted many Kenyan medics to seek opportunities abroad, leading to a significant brain drain in the country’s healthcare sector.
The backdrop of the current strike reflects a similar situation in 2017 when Kenyan doctors staged a 100-day nationwide strike, resulting in the closure of public hospitals and patients facing difficulties in accessing essential medical care.
Although a collective bargaining agreement was eventually reached, doctors allege that the government has failed to fulfill certain aspects of the deal, resulting in the resumption of strikes.
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