- Koskei said the striking doctors should therefore accept what has been offered to them by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
- The nationwide doctors’ strike clocked one month on Friday, as both KMPDU and the government maintaned hardline stances and refused to compromise.
Image: PCS
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has said the government has no money to pay intern doctors Sh206,ooo monthly salary they are demanding.
He said the country is running under a very tight budget as the economic situation is very dire and this applies to everyne across all sectors.
Koskei said the striking doctors should therefore accept what has been offered to them by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
"The government has got no money, there is no money that we can pay Sh206,000 per intern. Let them earn Sh70,000 and we are urging them that that is what they should take," the head of public service said.
Former KMPDU secretary general Ouma Oluga reacted to the remarks saying during their time, pay for intern doctors was much better than what is being offered now but they still protested.
"When I was an intern in 2011, we earned Sh78,000 and that’s why we formed the union so such kind of things never happen in our lifetime," he said on X.
"The KMPDU was registered on August 31, 2011. President Kibaki then raised doctor entry (intern) salaries to Sh141,000. Buana just throw away (Article 41 of) the Constitution so that we go back to ‘era before the constitution’," he said.
The nationwide doctors’ strike clocked one month on Friday, as both KMPDU and the government maintaned hardline stances and refused to compromise.
The medics have also defied threats by the national and county governments to return to work or face disciplinary action, with some unions indicating that the crisis will escalate.
This comes after the Ministry of Health sought 14 more days to continue negotiating with the doctors to hopefully reach a consensus and end the countrywide strike.
Justice Byrum Ongaya granted the request after hearing from all parties, effectively handing the reconciliation and negotiation proceedings a lifeline.
He gave parties 14 more days to expeditiously proceed and record a settlement in court.
Doctors have remained adamant and insisted that the government should honour and fully impelement their 2017 CBA if the stalemate were to end.
They declined government's offer of Sh2.4 billion offered on April 8.
Koskei said the funds were to facilitate the immediate deployment and posting of the 2023-24 cohort of medical student interns.
The head of public service said the deployment would begin on Thursday, April 11 and called on the union to suspend the strike.
The posting of medical interns was one of the pertinent issues KMPDU was pushing for when they went on strike on March 14.