“Doctors and healthcare workers will be properly paid, no woman will pay for maternity care, no Kenyan will travel abroad for medical treatment, our teachers will be paid and our policemen will all live in modern housing…strikes end with Kibaki government na Yule Jamaa wa vitendawili. We will pay workers because they are the backbone of our nation,” this is what Deputy President William Ruto said four years ago during the launch of Jubilee Coalition.
This is contrary to the recent happenings, with seven Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Unions (KMPDU) officials set to spend the next 30 days behind bars, after being found guilty of contempt of court on February 13.
The doctors have been on strike for 71 days now, demanding better pay, improvement of their working conditions - including hiring of more health workers and equipping of hospitals with state-of-the art machines.
The grievances they want addressed are in the 2013 collective bargaining agreement they signed in 2013.
The Jubilee administration has come under sharp criticism over the manner in which the doctors’ strike has been handled.
Political analysts argue that the jailing of doctors’ union officials spells doom for the Jubilee administration, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“They are a few heartless people celebrating imprisonment of doctors... However the political implications of the court ruling will be huge!” said Prof Edward Kisiang’ani on Twitter, Monday.
Prof Kisiang’ani has described the imprisonment of doctors as “a national tragedy”, adding that the government has failed to meet obligations of Kenyan workers.
“Nobody is being jailed for stealing huge sums of money from from the national govt including Ministry of Health. But Docs ?” he said.
The interim doctors’ union officials have vowed not to engage the government in any talks to unlock the ugly stalemate – until their colleague are released from jail.
The crisis in the health sector seems to discredit DP Ruto’s 2013 remarks, “strikes end with Kibaki government na Yule Jamaa wa vitendawili (referring to opposition leader Raila Odinga). We will pay workers because they are the backbone of our nation.”
Meanwhile, public universities lecturers are also on the streets, demanding implementation of the 2013-2017 CBA.
The government had offered Sh10 billion to the lecturers, an offer they rejected.