The doctors union will take legal and industrial action in February over failure by universities and medical colleges to pay lecturers who are doctors.
In a statement on Thursday, KMPDU secretary general Ouma Oluga noted the allowances are in the return-to-work formula and the CBAs they negotiated last year.
The medical risk and emergency call allowances and the accrued arrears were supposed to be paid from January 1 last year.
Oluga said they have been trying to engage the institutions in dialogue since March 2017 and that they will not try again after January 31.
“Numerous engagements with the universities' administrations, the Ministry of Education department in charge of higher education and the Ministry of Health have yielded no fruits, leaving the doctor lecturers and the union with no option but to believe that collective action is now called for."
He noted the withdrawal of labour will have "catastrophic effects" on the country.
Oluga said the universities and colleges have until the end of the month to forward their cumulative financial costs
to Treasury
for budgeting to avert legal action or a strike.
“We deeply sympathise with the unfortunate plight of these highly esteemed professionals, who have had to endure over one year waiting patiently for their allowances," he said.
More than
600 doctors offer teaching services in public universities with medical schools and colleges of health sciences.
They also offer specialist services at referral hospitals including Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kiambu Hospital, Coast General, Rift Valley Provincial Hospital and Jaramogo Oginga Odinga hospital in Kisumu.
Last year, doctors went on strike for a record 100 days to push for better facilities in hospitals and improved working and monetary conditions for doctors.
A return-to-work formula and Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed in March between KMPDU, the Health ministry and county governments.