The Employment and Labor Relations Court has temporarily stopped Kiambu County from recruiting new medical specialists amid an ongoing doctors’ strike that has now entered its 80th day.
On Thursday, August 14, Justice Njagi Marete issued orders barring the county from shortlisting, recruiting, or appointing candidates for the Medical Specialist I position, Job Group CPSB 04. The judge advised county officials to seek dialogue with striking doctors, saying negotiations remained the best path to restoring calm in the health sector.
The county has 14 days to file its response, with the case set for hearing on August 28.
The dispute began after the county advertised 78 consultant positions in Job Group Q on August 8. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) moved to court, terming the move provocative given the ongoing industrial action.
Union Secretary-General Davji Atellah welcomed the court’s intervention, accusing the county of acting with hostility toward doctors already on the payroll.
“The Kiambu County Government chose to advertise for consultants while the current doctors are on strike, a show of hostility. The advertisement for 78 consultants demonstrated a mischievous and malicious attitude toward the doctors currently working, especially since we have consultants who have retired from the county, and we are demanding promotions,” Atellah said.
KMPDU says the strike is driven by long-standing grievances, including delayed salaries, lack of promotions, staff shortages leading to overwork, poor medical cover, denial of leave, and failure to remit statutory deductions.
The standoff has also been discussed in a closed-door meeting between KMPDU leaders and Kiambu County MPs, where concerns were raised about medicine shortages, overworked staff, and deteriorating facilities.
In a related push, the union has called for the closure of 13 major public hospitals in the county, citing patient safety risks and poor medical training conditions. According to KMPDU, the facilities, ranging from Kiambu Level 5 to Githunguri Level 4, are operating without qualified consultants, leaving interns and junior doctors unsupervised.
The doctors argue this compromises patient care and undermines the training of future medical professionals.
