Intern doctors who held protests at the Ministry of Health Headquarters at Afya House in Nairobi are demanding the resignation of Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, highlighiting their frustrations with the ministry’s failure to honor the 2017 Collective Barganinig Agreement.
The interns who included dentists and pharmacists are demanding for immediate posting within 30 days upon completing their studies, with many claiming that they had waited for up to 2 years for posting. The CBA if implemented will see them take home 206, 000 shillings as their monthly pay from the current 80, 000.
They have further rejected the ministry’s proposal to post them in batches due to tigh budgets. The protestors also accused their union KMPDU of inadequately representing their interests.
Their protests came as clinical officer under their union Kenya Union of Clinical Officers announced that they had called off their nationwide strike after three months. KUCO Secretary General George Gibore announced the signing of the return to work formula with the Council of Governors effectively ending the strike that begun on the 1st of April.
The clinicians had resorted to industrial action over a myriad of grievances, among them permanent and pensionable terms for clinical officers working on contracts, and the recruitment of 20,000 clinical officers.