Doctors have called off their 56-day strike following the signing of a return-to-work formula between the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU).
The agreement, reached after extensive discussions on Tuesday between KMPDU and government representatives from the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), addressed most of the contentious issues that fueled the strike.
Regarding outstanding basic salary arrears, it was agreed that these would be settled within the next financial year. KMPDU is required to provide a list of doctors with pending salary arrears within 15 days.
The government also committed to facilitating the settlement of basic salary arrears, amounting to Ksh. 3.5 billion, accrued by County Governments in line with the 2017 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA). Salary arrears accrued by doctors under county employment as of June 30, 2024, will be settled over five years starting from July 1, 2024.
However, the issue of posting and paying intern doctors was left unresolved pending a decision from the Labour Relations Court of Kenya at Eldoret. Negotiations on this matter are to commence and conclude within 60 days.
KMPDU agreed to conclude Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with each National Teaching and Referral Hospital within 90 days. All registrars will adhere to their clinical programs, with rotations not exceeding 40 hours a week. The government will settle all outstanding fees incurred by government-sponsored postgraduate registrars from 2018.
Additionally, 2,000 additional doctors will be employed to support Universal Health Coverage (UHC) within 90 days. Promotion lists for medical personnel will be provided by KMPDU.
An intergovernmental task force will address ongoing challenges in the health sector, and no employee who participated in the strike will face victimization. All unpaid union dues and salaries will be paid as per existing contractual obligations.
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