Kenyan hospital lays off 100 striking doctors: On Tuesday, administration at a public hospital in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, stated that 100 doctors’ contracts had been terminated due to their participation in a month-long statewide strike.
In response to the walkout, the Kenyatta University Referral Hospital announced the hiring of more doctors.
Midway through March, doctors all throughout Kenya went on strike for better wages and working conditions.
Last Sunday, President William Ruto finally spoke out about the strike, saying that the doctors’ demands for compensation were unmet due to a lack of funds.
The fact is that we need to live within our means, and we need to be honest with ourselves about that. “We can’t take out loans to pay our salaries,” Ruto said.
The doctors’ union has maintained its position in spite of the president’s remarks. Protests and a petition for lawmakers to intervene in a labor dispute were carried out by hundreds of doctors on Tuesday.
Strikes by Kenyan doctors over low wages and unsafe working conditions have happened before. Lack of medical treatment led to deaths in 2017 when doctors went on a 100-day strike. After a protracted strike, the government and the doctors’ union finally reached a salary increase agreement.
The doctors are now claiming that the agreement made in 2017 has been partially or completely ignored.
