Economy

Only four counties have executed post-strike plan: KPMDU

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A doctor attends to a patient at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital on March 15, 2017: Only Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Makueni and Tana River counties have paid their medics in full. FILE PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NMG

Only four out of the 47 counties have fully paid their doctors months after a deal with the government that brought a 100-day medics’ strike to an end in March.

As of Friday last week, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Makueni and Tana River counties had paid their medics in arrears from last December including the enhanced allowances.

Kericho, Uasin Gishu, Turkana, Isiolo, Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera counties have paid their doctors in arrears but are yet to pay the new allowances.

Other devolved units that have paid arrears include Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties.

Doctors had in March signed a return to work agreement with their employers - the national government and the 47 counties - following a protracted strike that immobilised operations at hospitals across the country.

“The difference between those (counties) who have paid and those who have not is the goodwill,” said the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) secretary general, Dr Ouma Oluga told the Business Daily in an interview.

“There are just specific officers in the Ministry of Health’s HR department and some governors who are hell-bent in frustrating doctors as there is nothing else lacking,” he added.

Extended timeline

KMPDU chair Samuel Oroko in a statement sent to doctors said the new timelines have been pushed to May 28 for counties and June 3 for the national government to allow them clear the confusion.

When reached for comment, Health Secretary Cleopa Mailu absolved the State of responsibility saying Treasury had already allocated the funds for extra allowances and disbursed to the counties.

"We have complied as a ministry and have paid the doctors up to the last payroll and we expect counties to do so. Treasury had allocated money for the extra allowances and by the time we were signing the return to work formula, that money had been released and as a ministry we have processed and released to the respective counties so that they can be able to pay the extra allowances...there is no reason why counties should not pay those arrears," Mr Mailu said Monday.

However, the council of governors (CoG) maintains that the money has not reached them.

CoG chief executive Jacqueline Mogeni said that the devolved units do not have extra allocation within their budgets in the current financial year hence the current stalemate.

“The allocation of Sh1.5 billion has already been provided for within the National government Supplementary budget to cushion counties during the transition phase of implementation of the doctors’ return to work formula but the allocation has not reached the county governments’ accounts,” said Ms Mogeni in a statement.

“The Senate must approve allocations for the counties to draw the funds and we urge them to consider this matter as an issue of national interest by reconvening urgently to approve the allocation,” she added.