Doctors and nurses have kicked-off their planned strike, paralysing operations in all public hospitals, countrywide.
Under the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) umbrella, doctors had issued a 21-days strike notice, which elapsed Sunday midnight, and warned that no services will be provided in the facilities.
The doctors are demanding for the implementation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was signed in 2015, which recommended that they receive salary hike.
The CBA was however suspended, with the Employment and Labour Relations Court issued a ruling on October 6th, 2016, directing that the two parties sit and produce a negotiated CBA within 90 days.
The doctor's strike was perpetrated after the Salaries and Remuneration (SRC) released a report of a 17-month job evaluation exercise affecting civil servants and state officers, which includes all medics.
On the other hand, nurses through the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) warned that they would also kick-off a nationwide strike starting this morning, demanding that the government implements a salary hike agreement.
Treasury and Ministry of Health officials met Sunday to mitigate the strike but failed to reach an agreement after the medics snubbed the meeting.
Health Cabinet Secretary Dr Cleopa Mailu has however asked the medics to go back to work, saying the strike notice given by doctors is premature and pre-emptive, since the 90-days negotiation period accorded by the Court has not yet lapsed.
They are also set to meet for similar talks.