‘Do not implement doctors CBA’: governors warn government

The Council of Governors (CoG) on Tuesday April 16, 2024 warned the Kenya Kwanza government against implementing the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2017 with doctors.

Speaking during a press conference in Nairobi, the governors maintained that honouring the 2017/2021 CBA is likely to plunge the country into a financial crisis.

CoG chair Anne Waiguru, who is also the Kirinyaga governor stated that implementing the doctor’s contagious CBA may lead to other county employees demanding the same.

Waiguru added that, in case the national government bows to pressure and agrees to implement the doctors CBA, the counties will not be part of the deal.

CoG chair governor Anne Waiguru speaking during a press briefing on April 16, 2024. Photo: TV47

“The Council of Governors appreciates the Whole of Nation Approach directive by the court whose aim is to have a long-lasting solution to the perennial industrial unrest in the health sector.

“However, this is not tenable as both the national and county governments are independent and distinct employers,” stated Waiguru.

“In the event that the national government agrees to the implementation of the CBA, this will have a ripple effect on all the civil servants’ basic pay and will require additional allocation of resources to all the counties,” she added.

The Kirinyaga governor downplayed the doctors’ call for better pay, arguing that all health practitioners in the country are currently remunerated well.

“We also wish to bring to the attention of the public that senior medical doctors are paid 103% higher, which is double the amount that is paid to non-health workers in the public service and other doctors in the private sector,” she said.

“Currently, a County Senior Medical Officer is paid Ksh.479,000, with a basic salary of Ksh.203, 000, emergency call allowance (Ksh.80,000), house allowance (Ksh.56,000), commuter allowance (Ksh.20,000), non-practice allowance (Ksh.60,000), extraneous allowance (Ksh.40,000), and risk allowance (Ksh.20,000),” she noted.

Consequently, the governors urged the striking doctors to resume duty and terminate the strike.

“As duty bearers, we cannot afford to remain silent as Kenyans continue to suffer and in other unfortunate cases, death, due to an unprotected strike and that the doctors have not complied with the court directive.

“The Constitution defines doctors as essential workers and therefore they are not expected to abandon their stations of duty,” read part of the CoG statement.