The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have declared their intention to stage a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi as part of their ongoing nationwide strike. In a letter addressed to Nairobi Regional Police Commander Adamson Bungei, KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah has requested police assistance to ensure the safety of demonstrators during the planned march on Tuesday.
The procession is scheduled to commence at Kenyatta National Hospital, proceed to the Ministry of Health, Council of Governors, and culminate at the National Treasury.
This announcement follows closely after remarks made by Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, who criticized the doctors' actions, labeling them as a public nuisance for organizing strikes and demonstrations without prior notification to the police, which he claimed was unlawful.
"The medics have become a public nuisance, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas during the demonstrations thus causing discomfort to patients in hospitals and the general public," stated the IG in a release on Sunday.
In response to Koome's statements, the defiant doctors, alongside the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Katiba Institute (KI), and Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), demanded an apology and retraction of the IG's remarks by 6 pm on Sunday, April 14. They specifically highlighted the need for an apology regarding the alleged violent attack on Dr. Davji Atellah on February 27, 2024.
The doctors' decision to take to the streets on March 14 stems from their demands for the posting of interns and the fulfillment of other agreements outlined in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).