A recent development in the ongoing doctors' strike has led to the collapse of talks between the government and the doctors. According to a source quoted by Nation, who is part of the negotiation team, the talks collapsed due to a Facebook post by State House official Dennis Itumbi and the actions of Health PS Nicholas Muraguri.
Dennis Itumbi, the Director of Digital Communication, shared information on what the government and the doctors' officials had agreed upon, which reportedly angered the doctors. The post stated, "They want the lowest-paid doctor to get KSh 221,000 and the highest paid KSh940,000 (plus allowances goes to KSh 1.2M). GOK is actually offering to pay doctors way better than those in private hospitals,"
The doctors, as per their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), are seeking a salary range of KSh325,000-KSh342,770 for the lowest paid doctor and KSh852,180- KSh946,000 for the highest paid. However, the negotiation team and the doctors' representatives were unable to come to an agreement on the salary issue.
The negotiation process began on Friday, February 17, following the release of the doctors' officials. Despite progress in other areas, the salary dispute remained unresolved, ultimately leading to the collapse of the talks.
A source within the negotiation team, as quoted by Nation, stated, "Talks have collapsed because of this post; Muraguri is busy talking to bloggers," highlighting the challenges faced during the negotiation process.
The recovered account cited reporting by Tuko.
