A new storm is brewing between the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Ministry of Health.
On Monday, union officials led by Secretary General Davji Atellah issued a 30-day ultimatum, warning that if intern doctors’ pay is not fully addressed, they will begin weekly demonstrations on March 18, 2025.
Atellah insists the government has breached the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which set intern doctors’ monthly salary at Ksh206,000. “Anytime you touch our salaries, you are inadvertently giving yourselves a strike notice,” he said in a statement on X. “CS Barasa, consider it served.”
The announcement follows a video from the February 17 Health Summit 2025 at Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s Karen residence, in which Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa stated that new interns would be paid Ksh70,000, rather than the figure outlined in the CBA. “During our meeting in November/December, we talked about Ksh206,000, but for the new cohort we’re talking about Ksh70,000,” she remarked in the footage.
Past confrontations have also seen doctors holding overnight vigils at the Ministry of Health’s Afya House offices, protesting delayed or incomplete pay. Despite these efforts, Atellah warns the frustration persists, contending that the government’s move will “backfire if corrective action isn’t taken.”
This looming showdown arrives after a tumultuous year in which KMPDU nearly brought the health sector to a halt over the same pay dispute. An agreement was brokered on December 19, 2024, with Deputy President Kindiki present, providing for the Ksh206,000 rate. However, Barasa’s recent statements have reignited tensions.
For now, the countdown to March 18 is on, with both health officials and doctors hoping the dispute can be resolved before the planned demonstrations begin.
