President Uhuru Kenyatta has told off doctors on their ongoing strike, saying that if the recent talks with religious leaders, which are aimed to bring the government and the doctors to a consensus, fail, and then the government will be forced to take action.

A visibly irate Uhuru, who was speaking at the opening of the devolution conference in Nakuru County yesterday, accused the doctors of being selfish in their demands.

“You have to recognize that we are paying these people and we have offered them more money than even the doctors in the private hospitals receive,” Uhuru said.

“An intern today is being offered more money than a medical practitioner working at Nairobi hospital, Agakhan and matter hospital. kwani hii watu wanaona sisi ni wajinga kiasi gani? (How stupid do these people think we are?) It cannot be,” he continued.

“…and they only work for two hours a day in government hospitals and then they run to do private practice in their clinics. This is blackmail and we are not going to entertain this”, he said.

Governors Withdraw Additional Allowances Offered To Striking Doctors

A 50 per cent salary increment and a Sh600 million risk allowance awarded to the doctors, which had been brokered on Monday night during the negotiations with the clergy, has also been withdrawn. The risk allowance was to be backdated to July last year.

According to the chairman of the council of governors Peter Munya, only Doctors who have and continue being on duty will receive the Government’s offer of new allowance warning that the rest who continue to abscond duty will face disciplinary measures.

“Doctors who have and continue being on duty will receive the Government’s offer of new allowance with effect from January 2017. Those doctors who are on strike and are willing to return to work are expected to resume duty at their respective duty stations with immediate effect,” he said.

The doctors went on a countrywide strike in December last year and have been demanding for the full implementation of the 2013 CBA.