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Kenya sentences doctors' union officials to suspended jail term

Xinhua, January 12, 2017 Adjust font size:

A Kenyan court has sentenced striking doctors' union officials to a one month suspended jail term for failing to call off the strike which entered its 39th day on Thursday.

Justice Helen Wasilwa of the Employment and Labour Relations Court also ordered the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials to called off the strike and finalize the salary talks with the government within two weeks.

"I will be sentencing you to one month in jail but it is suspended for two weeks to allow negotiations to continue. I cannot give you a lenient sentence as I would be sending a wrong message," Wasilwa ruled.

The judge early this week issued a warrant of arrest of the union officials over failure to appear in court after being summoned. However, the union officials presented themselves before the court on Thursday for contempt charges.

Justice Wasilwa directed the KMPDU officials to return to the court on Jan. 26 to be briefed on progress on negotiations between the union and government.

"You have told me that you are still negotiating and so I will give you a small window to allow the negotiations to continue," the judge said.

"You have sentence hanging on your head. If the strike is not resolved within two weeks you will be arrested wherever you are and taken straight to the cells," she ruled.

The union officials said they were ready for speedy resolution of the stand off which has paralyzed health services across the East African nation.

"Kenyan doctors are ready to go to any extent to ensure our beloved country gets a health care system that responds to her people's needs," the officials said, thanking citizens who have joined the struggle for better health care that they all deserve.

The government which has threatened to institute disciplinary action against striking doctors who failed to resume duties by Wednesday vowed to hire at least 188 doctors from Cuba and India to alleviate the suffering of patients.

The government offered to increase salary for the lowest paid doctors by over 550 U.S. dollars, which would raise their salaries to 1,970 dollars from 1,400 dollars.

The doctors have been embroiled in a deadlock with the government for five weeks now over the increment of salaries and parity in the issuance of promotions to health practitioners in the country.

The standoff between the doctors and the government has pushed thousands of low income patients to the edge, and with no cash to visit to high cost private facilities, distressed families have flocked ill-equipped clinics found in residential areas.

The doctors who are demanding a 300 percent salary increase for its members as agreed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) say the lowest paid doctor to get earn 3,450 dollars while the highest should be earning 9,450 dollars. Endit