Embakasi East member of parliament (MP) Babu Owino has urged President William Ruto to sell his watch worth Ksh10 million and pay striking doctors.
In a video that circulated on social media on Tuesday April 9, 2024, Babu Owino is heard saying that there is no way the President can say his government has no money to offer better pay for doctors.
“As a president you can’t tell us that the government has no money, yet you are putting on a watch worth Ksh10 million. Sell that watch and pay the doctors,” said Babu Owino.
The bible says, in Matthew 7: 9-11 that if your son asks for bread, do you give him a stone? And if your son asks for fish do you give him a snake? Therefore your children, who are doctors, are asking for bread and fish, give them money, this country has a lot of money,” he added.
At the same time, Babu Owino noted that the Kenya Kwanza government was collecting a lot of money from Kenyans after increasing taxes to the citizens.
“You increased taxes and therefore the government is collecting a lot of money from Kenyans, and the same government has borrowed heavily from other nations, so there is enough money,” said Babu Owino.
In addition, the Embakasi East MP alleged that many Kenyans are dying as a result of the doctors strike that has paralyzed service delivery in public hospitals.
Babu Owino’s remarks emerged two days after President Ruto urged the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to suspend the doctors strike and accept the government offer.
Speaking during a Sunday service in Eldoret on April 7, 2024, President Ruto maintained that the government has no funds to meet the demands of striking doctors.
“We cannot continue to spend the money we don’t have, now I am telling our friends the doctors that we care about them. We value the services they give to our nation but we must live within our means.
“The resources we have are only sufficient to pay Ksh70,000 for medical interns, it’s not a salary, it’s a stipend for only one year then they will be employed,” said President Ruto.
