Once again, talks between doctors and authorities hit a deadlock on Friday, as the union accused the government of trying to coerce them into signing a return-to-work agreement they never consented to.
A tense meeting between the Kenya Medical, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials and government representatives ended abruptly, leaving Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei expressing regret over the collapsed negotiations. The meeting, held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, saw the KMPDU officials walk out, citing dissatisfaction with the government’s approach.
Koskei stated that both the national and county governments were committed to ending the strike and addressing the country’s needs through a return-to-work agreement in compliance with a previous court order. “We were ready to sign the agreement to end the strike but the union introduced new issues at the last minute,” he said.
The negotiations involved representatives from the national government, the Council of Governors, and the KMPDU. Prior to the talks, Koskei had indicated that a return-to-work formula was being finalized.
However, KMPDU Deputy Secretary General Dennis Miskellah clarified that the purpose of the meeting was to finalize the document before signing. He explained that although the government agreed to some of the union’s concerns during the meeting, it was non-committal on implementation timelines.
“While we were negotiating, one of their team members was taking minutes. They used those notes to unilaterally draft a return-to-work formula and tried to arm-twist us into signing it. We could not agree to that,” he added.
He also added that “the strike is still on”
