- He noted that with the floods, it is expected that there will be outbreak of waterborne diseases including cholera and typhoid, and malaria.
- "I want to call upon and plead with the doctors, please, CBA is not superior that the disaster we are facing. Please let us save lives," he pleaded.
Image: FILE
East Africa Legislative Assembly Member of Parliament David Ole Sankok has urged doctors to call off the ongoing strike and let the government deal with the flood disaster first.
Speaking during an interview with TV47 on Tuesday morning, he noted that with the floods, there is expected to be an outbreak of waterborne diseases including cholera, typhoid, and malaria.
"I want to call upon and plead with the doctors, please, CBA is not superior that the disaster we are facing. The warning has been issued. Please let us save lives," he pleaded.
Sankok said those who are getting paid by taxpayers' money are part of the government and should be part of the solution.
These include all civil servants among them doctors and teachers, and political leaders.
"It is high time that we realised that when it is a natural disaster, all of us should shelf everything else," he said.
Acknowledging that some government employees bear greater responsibility in relation to disaster management and assistance response, Sankok said a natural disaster calls for collective responsibility.
His plea comes two days after the government threatened to divert the Sh2.4 billion which was meant to pay medical interns on other emerging issues like floods.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei on Sunday said the money will be diverted if the interns continue downing their tools.
"The money that was set aside for interns, the Sh2.4 billion that is sitting in the account because they have not reported, the more they stay, we shall reallocate that money to intervene on immediate urgent issues like floods and other things," Koskei said.
"As we are depositing this agreement, we are going to petition the court to allow us to take any necessary action to alleviate the problem."
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah however stated that the doctors will not succumb to the intransigence of the government nor accept to be intimidated.
Atellah said the patients have patiently waited for seven years for the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) to be implemented.
He said during their waiting period, they have gone through endless consultations, negotiation and court processes whose outcomes employers never implement nor obey.
"We have been on strike for 52 days and it is clear that this government does not intend to negotiate in good faith. KMPDU will not be ambushed nor coerced to sign a document that goes against our CBA 2017," Atellah said.