• Doctor-lecturers also perform clinical services at the hospital. Their clinical allowances have been withheld for two years.
• Striking medics will join other varsity lecturers already boycotting work, demanding implementation of a delayed CBA and remittance of statutory deductions.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
More than 200 physician-lecturers are on strike against the Moi University School of Medicine, demanding payment of allowances withheld by the university for two years.
The enhanced clinical allowances now amount to more than Sh200 million, more than Sh1.5 million each.
The strike could affect services at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital where the doctors provide clinical services.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union secretary for North Rift Kamunzi Mulei said they had issued a two-week strike notice that lapsed on Sunday last week.
“It’s a strike in totality and we will not go back until the money is paid to our members," Dr Mulei said.
He said the Treasury had released the money to the university after it was approved and asked why it was not released to the doctor-lecturers.
MTRH management said, however, its services will not be affected by the strike. Hospital CEO Dr Wilson Aruasa said the facility has 320 doctors and other medics who will provide services as usual.
Doctor-lecturers have gone on strike because university has refused to pay money that was released more than two years agoDr Davji Atella
“Our staff has no issue with the hospital and services will run as usual," Dr Aruasa said.
Dr Davji Bhimji Atella, who is KPMDU secretary general, met the doctors in Eldoret. He said the university management had illegally diverted more than Sh200 million released by the Treasury two years ago.
Dr Atella said they had written to the EACC to probe how the money went missing at the university, causing the doctor-lecturers to suffer though the government had released their cash.
“The doctor-lecturers have gone on strike because the university has refused to pay the money that was released more than two years ago," Dr Atella said.
He said the doctors had been patient and dialogue to release the funds has failed.
“There is a lot of misuse of funds at Moi University that has made it difficult for doctors to be paid their dues. They cannot continue working et the money they deserve is missing," he said.
Dr Atella said the doctors had been blacklisted by financial institutions because deductions from their salaries were not being remitted by the universities. He said all medical practitioners, specialists, pharmacists and dentists would go on strike.
“As a union, we are looking at the welfare of our members which supersedes the interests of the management," Dr Atella said.
He said the medical school was also facing a shortage of lecturers and an appeal to the university to employ more had failed, hence, the strike will affect the quality of training, he said.
KMPDU is demanding that more than 100 extra doctors be hired to ensure training is not undermined.
The striking medics will join other lecturers at the university who already are boycotting work, demanding implementation of a delayed CBA and remittance of statutory deductions.
The strike has frozen operations at the university where the lecturers' union UASU is demanding that students who were recalled recently should go back home because they are not being taught.
Vice chancellor Professor Isaac Kosgey has said the matter is being handled by the university management.
(Edited by V. Graham)