Duale meets KMPDU officials, agrees to solve pending CBA issues

The frequent doctors strikes may soon come to an end after the Kenya Medical, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials met with the recently appointed Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and charted a way forward on the several issues that have been contentious.

A brief shared by the KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah after the meeting indicates that Daule responded positively to the issues that the medics have been raising and which have led to most of their strikes and demonstrations.

Among the issues discussed is the placement of Interns, which Duale said will be finalised in July this year and their salaries paid in accordance with their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Atellah also stated that the Department of Public Health would also be reviewing all pending fees for post- graduate registration and ensure it is settled within 30 days.

Further, Duale promised to engage with the National Treasury and employers to exempt civil servants from being locked out from accessing the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) due to delayed remittances.

He revealed that the matter would be resolved within two weeks.

Further, the 1,000 doctors who had not received arrears owed to them in the form of basic salary are expected to receive their pay by the end of next month, adding that verification of the arrears is set to begin next Tuesday.

The doctors were not paid their basic salary in the initial disbursement, which took place in December last year and January this year.

“The ministry has committed to settling basic salary arrears by the end of May. Verification of these arrears is scheduled to commence on Tuesday,” the SG stated.

The second batch of the specific arrears is also expected to be paid in the initial months of the next financial year, as Davji added that it would be done by the end of August.

Duale also committed to engage the Council of Governors to ensure the revised basic salary for doctors employed by the counties is reflected in the July and August pay slips.

On doctors employed under the Universal Health Coverage programme, the KMPDU Secretary General indicated that they would soon be employed on permanent and pensionable terms.

The doctors who are employed on a three-year contract have been pushing the Ministry to ensure they are permanently employed.

The Thursday meeting with KMPDU came after Duale previously met with officials of nurses and clinical officers unions and promised to resolve their woes.

Writing on X, Duale reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to structured dialogue, mutual accountability and full implementation of the agreement.

He said the ministry recognises that healthcare workers as the backbone of quality service delivery, I emphasized their central role in the successful rollout of the Taifa Care model and the broader Universal Health Coverage agenda. We remain committed to continuous stakeholder engagement to find sustainable solutions that ensure accessible, affordable healthcare for all.