Kenyan doctors have given the national government as well as county governments 7 days to pay their salaries or they will go on strike. In a move that will see the health sector come to a standstill, the medics have voiced their frustrations due to salary delays.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, April 11, read by Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) boss Davji Bhimji, the medics regretted that close to 40 counties have neither paid healthcare workers their salaries nor remitted statutory deductions.
“Healthcare is a public good and an essential service. Unfortunately, the essential service providers cannot access their pay like other public servants managed by the National Government. It is damning, to say the least, that, our members cannot afford the same services they offer. Subsequently, these affect healthcare worker’s standard of living, and motivation and, thereby injuring their productivity,” said Bhimji.
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Doctors and health workers are among millions of civil servants that have not received their March salaries as the government says its coffers are empty and cannot pay salaries. County Governments have told medics that they have not received any money from the National Treasury and have no other means of paying their salaries.
Senior government officials led by President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have admitted that the government is broke and unable to pay salaries. So far, only teachers, the police, and members of the military have received their salaries.
A section of Members of Parliament and Senators has claimed that they have not received their March salaries threatening to take action against the National Treasury. It is not clear what the government hopes to achieve with the delays for no one is giving an alternative.
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