Kenya's doctors sign agreement to end strike after almost 2 months

Kenya’s public hospital doctors have agreed to resume work, calling off a nationwide strike which lasted for close to two months.

Davji Atellah, the union secretary general, on May 8 confirmed that doctors have decided to place their trust in the government to address the issues leading to the strike. These issues primarily revolve around inadequate pay and working conditions.

This development comes after a labour court in Kenya had on Tuesday May 7, given doctors and the government 48 hours to sign a return to work agreement, failure to which the matter would be determined by the court.

Government’s response

Kenya's Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha said the doctors had proved to be better negotiators than the government side, adding that they had put up "quite a fight."

The end of the strike comes as a relief to millions of Kenyans seeking health services from public hospitals that had been crippled by the strike.

Some hospitals had decided to hire temporary doctors for emergency services.

Throwback

In 2017, doctors at Kenya's public hospitals held a 100-day strike — the longest ever held in the country — to demand better wages and for the government to restore the country's dilapidated public health facilities.

Kenya is currently dealing with the devastating effects of flooding that has affected 235,000 people since mid-March when the rainy season started.