Doctors in Kiambu County have vowed to continue striking every Wednesday in protest against worsening working conditions and the collapse of multiple negotiations with the county executive.
On Wednesday, medics took to the streets of Kiambu town, marking the 60th day of their industrial action. The protests are part of a broader nationwide campaign by doctors demanding better treatment from county governments.
Dr. Davji Atellah, the national Secretary-General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), who led the demonstrations, said Kiambu has become a symbol of the challenges facing healthcare professionals across the country.
“As doctors, we will strike every Wednesday until our demands are addressed. We cannot continue working in unfavorable conditions. The union will not be intimidated,” he said.
KMPDU Central Branch Chairman Dr. James Githinji accused the county of violating the rights of medical professionals. He cited the failure to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), delays and denials of promotions, unresolved staff shortages, non-remittance of statutory deductions, and overall neglect of healthcare welfare.
“The impact of this strike has been devastating. Public health facilities are barely operational. Patients are being turned away, and vulnerable residents—especially those who cannot afford private care—are suffering in silence,” said Dr. Githinji.
The doctors presented a petition to the Kiambu County Assembly, which was received by Assembly Clerk John Mutie. They urged the Assembly’s Health Committee to initiate a formal inquiry into the state of healthcare service delivery in the county.
They called on the committee to summon the County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Health, Dr. Elias Ngugi, and Chief Officer for Health, Dr. Patrick Nyaga, to provide a comprehensive response to the issues raised.
The doctors further requested the committee to convene public hearings to receive submissions from affected residents, healthcare professionals, and civil society organizations concerned with public health. They urged the committee to engage healthcare workers’ unions and table a report with recommendations for immediate remedial action.
Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa also weighed in on the crisis, issuing a seven-day ultimatum to Governor Kimani Wamatangi to resolve the matter.
“If no action is taken within seven days, I will move a formal motion in the Senate to summon Governor Wamatangi to explain his gross abdication on this matter,” said the senator in a statement.
Senator Thang’wa expressed solidarity with the striking healthcare workers, stating that their demands are justified and urgent.
“The lives of our people must not be held hostage by bureaucratic indifference or political pride,” he said.
He criticized the county for failing to prioritize healthcare despite boasting of record revenue collections—much of it from hospitals.
“It is unconscionable that in a resourceful county like Kiambu, public hospitals remain deserted, patients go unattended, and frontline medics are ignored. This is irresponsible and shameful,” said Thang’wa.
