• The doctor-lecturers have been on strike for 77 days demanding more than Sh200 million enhanced clinical allowances.
• PS Nabukwesi encouraged university managers to always engage in dialogue with workers to avert strikes.
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
A medics union has called off a strike by doctor-lecturers at Moi University medical school in a deal brokered by Education PS Simon Nabukwesi.
The doctor-lecturers have been on strike for 77 days demanding more than Sh200 million enhanced clinical allowances.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union secretary general Dr Davji Atella signed a return-to-work deal with vice chancellor Prof Isaac Kosgey who agreed to meet all demands by the medics.
“We have managed to resolve all the issues at hand which were largely about the arrears of the doctors which were pending for about eight months. We have signed a return-to-work formula in which all the issues will be resolved in due course,” Prof Kosgey said.
He said the university will immediately clear all arrears and also sort out all other issues that led to the industrial action.
Dr Atella said among the issues agreed on in the return-to-work formula include the immediate payment of the enhanced allowances and immediate release of delayed salaries for December and January.
He said all disciplinary action by the university against the doctor-lecturers and KMPDU officials would immediately be withdrawn and the university would also sign a recognition agreement with the union.
The union official said the medics will return to work this week as soon as the money they have been demanding reflects in their bank accounts.
“And with the signing of the return-to-work formula, the strike that started on November 29th 2021 has been called off," Dr Atella said.
Nabukwesi encouraged university managers to always engage in dialogue with workers to avert strikes.
“I'm happy that Moi University medical school is back on its feet and that learning will resume immediately because such disruptions have been costly especially to students and their parents,” the PS said.
Nabukwesi said the reputation of a university is at stake whenever there are frequent strikes that disrupt all programmes.
“The university's reputation is dependent on how stable it is. How students are retained to complete their courses in time and the standards then are achieved. But when there are so many disruptions, it causes a lot of disaffection and the reputation of the university is ruined,” the PS said.
Nabukwesi said they had agreed with all public university managers that henceforth they would use dialogue to resolve issues that may arise between the institutions, lecturers and students, among other stakeholders.
Edited by A.N