- "I am for practicality, I am for realism, I am not for sugarcoating," he said.
- The doctors' union said it will not compromise until the elephant in the room - posting of interns - is fully addressed.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Public Service CS Moses Kuria has insisted that he will not pay doctor interns the Sh206,000 they demand.
Speaking on Wednesday, after talks with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union collapsed, Kuria said that he would not do it, as long as he is the Cabinet Secretary in charge of public service.
The CS said that he would not sugarcoat issues.
He questioned what he would have to tell people from other professions who are also learned like the doctors.
"I am for practicality, I am for realism, I am not for sugar coating. I will not pay interns Sh206,000. Take it from me, as long as I am the minister for Public Service hakuna kitu kama hiyo itaendelea because what am I going to say to other people who went to school also? Nitaambia nini Engineers?" Kuria posed.
"Hapana. This psychological warfare that has been going on, wadanganye mwingine. I was also an A student."
On Tuesday, doctors rejected the offer given to them by the government.
The doctors' union said it will not compromise until the elephant in the room - posting of interns - is fully addressed.
The team led by the Head of Public Service had acknowledged on Monday evening that all the issues the doctors had raised had been agreed upon, except one, the posting of interns.
KMPDU secretary general Davji Atellah said they will not abandon the interns, terming them vulnerable.
"Dear government, the doctors are saying that since you have publicly said that you conceded to 18 of our 19 demands (except internship), kindly take back the 18 and give us the 1," Atellah said.
"As a community, we are not used to abandoning the most vulnerable, and to us, interns are currently very vulnerable."
In response to Atellah's remarks, CS Kuria said he would not listen to the advice of KMPDU leadership.
He noted that he has enough advisors in his office.
Kuria said that should the government grant the issue of intern doctors, what will happen to the remaining over 50,000?
"Let me tell my good friend (Dennis) Miskellah and my good friend (Davji) Atellah, thank you very much I have enough advisors in my office. I will not take your advice."
On Tuesday, Council of Governors chairperson Anne Wiguru called on the striking doctors to resume duty with immediate effect.
Waiguru on Tuesday said failure to do so will leave the counties with no option but to take necessary action against striking doctors.
Waiguru said issues which had been raised by the doctors had since been agreed upon, hence no need for the strike to go on.
This, she said, was after a series of meetings that have been taking place between the government and the union.
"We have been sitting here long days and in various other forums and we have gone the whole mile. On the counties' side, we have given into everything and still, we are at this place for no good reason," Waiguru said.
"For that, every county will take the necessary action as they deem fit and it will not be specific to a county but I am sure you will be seeing the necessary action as we go forward," she added.