The management of a public hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, announced on Tuesday that it has dismissed 100 doctors participating in a nationwide strike, which has been in effect for nearly a month.
The Kenyatta University Referral Hospital has reportedly hired new doctors to replace those on strike. Mid-March saw the commencement of a countrywide doctor’s strike, with demands for improved pay and working conditions.
On Sunday, President William Ruto addressed the strike for the first time, stating that the country does not have the funds to meet the striking doctors’ demands. “We must be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that we need to live within our means. We cannot take out loans to cover salaries,” Ruto remarked.
Despite this, the doctors’ union has stood firm, and on Tuesday, hundreds of doctors participated in demonstrations and submitted a petition to the parliament, asking for intervention in their labor dispute. This strike echoes a similar situation in 2017 when doctors staged a 100-day strike over inadequate pay and conditions, resulting in fatalities due to the lack of medical care. The strike concluded with an agreement to raise pay, but doctors claim that not all the 2017 agreements have been fulfilled.