Striking doctors in Kenya may soon receive their pay after 80 days of industrial action.
The Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury announced that the government will pay the doctors' salaries, including any pay rises, under one condition.
According to the Treasury CS, Henry Rotich, the payment will cover six months, from January to June, and will be made once the logistics are cleared and officials from the doctors' union agree to a deal.
Rotich stated that "Health is a devolved function but people do not want to accept that. 70% of medical workers fall under counties. They are employees for governors. Money will be disbursed as soon as it is clear how much is meant for counties,"
The Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General, Seth Panyako, agreed to a similar deal that ended the nurses' strike.
A report by the Daily Nation quoted Rotich as saying that the government is not refusing to pay the doctors because the money is available, but rather that logistical issues are delaying the disbursements.
Former Health Permanent Secretary, Mark Bor, recently disowned the 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) he signed with doctors before devolution, stating that he had signed the document illegally as his services had already been terminated.
The recovered account cited reporting by Tuko.
