Doctors in Elgeyo Marakwet Escalate Strike Over Unimplemented 2024 Agreement
Elgeyo Marakwet doctors have escalated a 21-day strike, demanding the full implementation of a 2024 return-to-work agreement, with healthcare services across the county severely affected.
Doctors in Elgeyo Marakwet hold their ground as a 21-day strike over unfulfilled 2024 agreements disrupts healthcare services in the county. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth sang
Doctors in the county of Elgeyo Marakwet have extended their strike action into its third week because the county government failed to execute the Return-to-Work Formula which they established in 2024.
Dr. Kamonzi Mule who serves as the KMPDU North Rift Branch Secretary delivered a press statement to inform the public that workers will strike because their CBA promotional rights remain unresolved. He explained that the doctors require implementation of agreed career progression, noting that the strike is not about salary increments or new allowances but about placing doctors in their rightful job groups.
“Doctors require promotion to the correct job groups which we demand from the administration,” said Dr. Mule.
He mentioned that both parties reached an agreement after the 2024 strike which committed the county to promote doctors by November 2024, but the county failed to fulfill its obligation according to Dr. Mule. Dr. Mule accused the county of bad faith by proceeding to court during the negotiation process which he claimed demonstrated their lack of goodwill and he announced plans to increase the intensity of the strike.
He asked residents to make their leaders accountable for their actions while he particularly wanted Governor Wesley Rotich to solve the dispute which would result in the restoration of health services.
“We agreed on a return-to-work formula in 2024 where doctors were to be promoted by November that year, but the county reneged on that agreement,” he stated.
Dr. Maurice Kipsang Chebaso who serves as KMPDU County Liaison Officer in Elgeyo Marakwet explained that the strike has caused major disruptions to healthcare services because hospitals now transfer patients to treatment centers located in other counties. He explained that the current deadlock exists because the county has not yet executed the 2024 agreement which all involved parties had signed including county officials and the union.
“The doctors will resume their work only after the 2024 return-to-work formula gets implemented,” Dr. Chebaso said.
He demanded that the county complete all agreement terms before they would start any new negotiation process while he charged the county with changing its legal stance during court cases.
Dr. Joan Chebi who practices medicine in the county explained that the strike happened because doctors faced persistent disappointment after multiple attempts to enforce the agreement. She noted that after the 2024 strike, doctors resumed duty in good faith, but the county failed to honour its commitments despite having sufficient time. She described the current action as the third strike over the same issues and maintained that it will continue until the Return-to-Work Formula is fully implemented.
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