KMPDU Threatens Nationwide Strike from October 25 Over 136 Infant Deaths in Kiambu

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has threatened to go on strike nationwide starting on October 25 and has stiffened its demand amid an escalating healthcare crisis in Kiambu County, in its standoff with the Council of Governors (CoG).

The union action is in response to the outcry of people after reports of 136 newborn deaths, which were alleged to have suffered negligence and poor conditions in the health facilities at Kiambu.

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On Monday, October 6, the KMPDU accused governors of cold-blooded insensitivity to ignore the alarming reports and brush away the situation. The union criticized the reaction of the CoG, terming it a straightforward effort to pretend that no one in the county is suffering, much as the state of the county’s healthcare is in a deplorable state.

KMPDU reports that the health sector in Kiambu was in crisis months ago, and there was not enough staffing, poor infrastructure, and insufficient medical supplies. The union criticized the CoG for protecting the leadership in the county rather than dealing with the actual issues behind the healthcare archetype that has supposedly cost the lives of the infants.

The Council of Governors, however, turned down the union’s claims. CoG Chairperson and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi demanded that healthcare services in Kiambu be fully operational and that doctors should not leave their posts in any of the facilities. Abdullahi accused KMPDU and the media of politicizing health issues and giving false information. He also defended the Kiambu Governor, Kimani Wamatangi, arguing that there is a political interest in the reporting acts that he should be taken out to discredit his leadership and sabotage devolution.

The health service in Kiambu is operational, and all physicians are in attendance. We call on the Ministry of Health and KMPDU to cease the politicization of healthcare issues. The county governments are mandated by the constitution to control health services, not Afya House, as Abdullahi argued in favour of the county administration.

The union, however, counterattacked by accusing the governors of being totally out of touch with the harsh reality on the ground. KMPDU insisted that patients have been languishing in the past four months in declining hospitals, which are indicative of looting and supervised destruction of the public health system.

In 131 days, patients, the very wananchi who support your high wages, have been subjected to treatment in shoddy hospitals that reveal the corruption of our health care system. The union was very critical and stated in a press release that the response to this humanitarian disaster is marked by arrogance and hypocrisy.

The doctors also blamed governors for depending on the services of privates and foreigners, and at the same time, the common Kenyan citizens suffer from poor services and preventable deaths. The union further added that the 47 governors who comprise the CoG have access to high-quality private healthcare and even travel to other countries to undergo minor medical procedures, as citizens are dying back home due to a lack of care.

The demands made by KMPDU will involve the issuance of a formal apology by the Council of Governors and the complete withdrawal of the previous statements made by it to reject the reports. The union is also advocating an independent investigation into the alleged deaths of the 136 infants, claiming that only an open and transparent investigation can bring back the confidence of people.

Moreover, KMPDU has coerced President William Ruto to dissolve the government of the Kiambu County because of its mismanagement and failure to administer its health services. The county leadership has been found to be incompetent and negligent as per the union; hence, this is not possible.

Upon KMPDU declaring the impending nationwide strike, the industrial action would be in collaborative effort with doctors in Kiambu, which would be a bigger battle to restore integrity in the Kenyan health industry.

As a reaction to the group defence of impunity and the lack of the desire to be affected by the pain of the people, Kenyan doctors will form a community of their own to uphold the pride of the medical profession. By announcing the statement in the form of a national strike notification, it will become effective as of October 25 and will be aimed at safeguarding the sanctity of life and medical care in our nation.

The strike will most likely paralyze medical services in the whole country, as these government-operated hospitals will be shut down, and the government along with the governors will be even more burdened with addressing the crisis at hand at the moment of the planned strike.

The people of Kenya are now waiting to see what the government can do next, will it intervene to prevent the looming strike or will it safeguard the county governments? Here, the message of KMPDU appears to be quite evident: the Kiambu deaths appear as a warning of the dysfunctional system that has to be changed right away.