Doctors in Kiambu County have pledged to continue their weekly Wednesday strikes to protest deteriorating working conditions and stalled negotiations with the county government. On the 60th day of their ongoing industrial action, medics marched through Kiambu town as part of a nationwide push for better treatment from county authorities.
Leading the protests, Dr. Davji Atellah, Secretary-General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), declared Kiambu a symbol of the struggles faced by healthcare workers across Kenya. “We will strike every Wednesday until our demands are met. We refuse to work in such poor conditions, and we will not be silenced,” he said.
Dr. James Githinji, KMPDU Central Branch Chairman, accused the county of violating medical professionals’ rights by failing to honor the Collective Bargaining Agreement, delaying promotions, ignoring staff shortages, neglecting statutory deductions, and disregarding healthcare workers’ welfare. “The strike has crippled public health facilities, leaving patients—especially those unable to afford private care—suffering in silence,” Dr. Githinji noted.
The doctors submitted a petition to the Kiambu County Assembly, accepted by Clerk John Mutie, urging the Health Committee to investigate the county’s healthcare delivery crisis. They demanded that the committee summon Dr. Elias Ngugi, County Executive Committee Member for Health, and Dr. Patrick Nyaga, Chief Officer for Health, to address these concerns. The medics also called for public hearings to gather input from residents, healthcare workers, and civil society, alongside a report with actionable recommendations.
Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa issued a seven-day ultimatum to Governor Kimani Wamatangi to resolve the crisis, threatening to table a Senate motion if no action is taken. Expressing solidarity with the doctors, he said, “The lives of our people cannot be held hostage by bureaucratic neglect or political arrogance.” Thang’wa criticized the county for neglecting healthcare despite high hospital revenue, calling the situation “irresponsible and shameful.”