Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has proposed a bill to have all government workers employed on a contract basis.
Speaking on Tuesday, April 23, Kuria expressed his annoyance at healthcare workers who have been on strike since March 14.
"If the doctors think we're against them, I will move to Cabinet to present a proposal that all government workers be converted to contract. There will be no permanent but rather contract and pensionable," Kuria said.
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"As a minister, I’ve been extremely patient and walked with the doctors' union but I’m full of major regrets. I am not used to dishonesty, I cannot understand how we can go to a meeting and agree on one thing, and then two hours later they change the goalpost on what was agreed."
CS Moses Kuria: If the doctors think we're against them, I will move to Cabinet to present a proposal that all government workers be converted to contract. There will be no permanent but rather contract and pensionable pic.twitter.com/9OvMhPtFtS
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) April 23, 2024
Kuria also highlighted his disappointment in the public's response, particularly in contrast to the expectations placed on the government regarding court orders.
Kuria noted that the doctors have continued with their strike despite orders to call off the strike.
"I expected the public to equally hold the doctors to the same threshold they hold us of respecting court orders. The strike was suspended three times but they didn't respect it. If it were the government not respecting, this could have been a different story," Kuria noted.
Kuria also expressed his dismay about the public's reception of Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha's directives noting a perceived personalization of issues.
"I have been around several Cabinet Ministers (Macharia and Mutahi Kagwe) for health and matters were restricted to issues at hand but for CS Nakhumicha, I’ve seen a lot of personalization of issues. Is it because she is a woman?" Kuria questioned.
Doctors have been on the streets protesting the government’s failure to post medical interns and obey a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for over a month.
Ksh6.1B for doctors
Earlier, Nakhumicha announced that the government had allocated Ksh6.1 billion to address the demands raised by healthcare workers.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, April 23, Nakhumicha revealed that despite the impasse being resolved, doctors have continued their strike paralysing healthcare across the country.
The CS noted the government's intention to appeal to the court to review the orders issued as the healthcare workers' strike hits hard.
"We have received Ksh6.1 billion for settlement of the issues raised by the doctors. Follow-up to the doctor’s refusal to call off the strike, we have instructed our counsel to move to court and file the status report as to what we had agreed on and initiated as a return-to-work formula. Equally, we are asking our council to appeal to the court to review the orders that had been issued initially, so that we can take the necessary actions to ensure that Kenyans continue to enjoy healthcare services," she noted.
