Pay striking doctors if you support them – RUTO blasts RAILA ODINGA and his orphans for supporting medics' strike

Saturday, April 20,2024 - President William Ruto has picked up a fight with some Kenyan leaders who are supporting the ongoing doctors' strike.

Services in over 50 public hospitals in the country have been disrupted for 36 days, with patients left to bear the brunt of the stalemate between the medics and the two tiers of government.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists' Union (KMPDU) wants, among other things, the reinstatement of the KSh 206,000 monthly pay for interns per the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed by the parties in 2017.

Orange Democratic Movement party leader, Raila Odinga sided with the medics, saying that the government should honour the deal until the next CBA negotiation.

Governor James Orengo of Siaya dissented from his 46 colleagues who have been strict on the medics, threatening to fire them should they fail to return to work as ordered by the court.

According to Orengo, the doctors are reasonable in their demands, arguing that it would be rational if the government engaged them with goodwill.

But Ruto who spoke on Friday accused the government's detractors of playing populist politics at the expense of reality.

His position was that the government would not pay the money the doctors demanded.

On the contrary, he asked those backing the medics to settle them instead.

 "The other day, we had the doctors' challenge. 

"We can hardly pay because we have said there are real issues we want to deal with. 

"You have leaders including governors, saying they support the doctors' strike, really? If you support the strike pay them the money they are asking for. 

"We must stop chasing what is popular and go for what is right," Ruto said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST