[Council of Governors (CoG) chairman Meru governor Peter Munya. Photo/KBC English]
A crisis looms in the health sector once again, barely two months after the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) called off a 100 days strike that commenced December 5, 2016.
This is after the Council of Governors (CoG) declared it does not have money to pay the doctors during the three months time, they were on strike.
President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered that the withheld arrears be released immediately for doctors to be paid, and warned that they would be sacked, if they try again to down tools. He was speaking in his Kiambu tour, April 5.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga had also urged government to pay the medics their dues, as agreed.
However, things took a new twist after CoG chairman, Peter Munya, said county governments used the three months salaries, to conduct emergency services when doctors were on strike.
"We do not have monies to pay doctors. The three months salaries that doctors were supposed to get, when they were on strike, was directed to emergency operations in public hospitals. We could not seat and wait to see patients die,'' Munya said, Thursday.
Speaking during an Investments Conference in his Meru County, Munya added: "Unless the national government releases more additional funds to pay doctors, we will not be able to pay them as the president directed.''
He further assured CoG would meet for further deliberations over the same.