CS Moses Kuria proposes scrapping permanent and pensionable terms for national government workers

The Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Performance and Delivery Management Moses Kuria says the government will not remit union dues for the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPPDU) for disrespecting court orders to stop the industrial action.

The CS noted that the government will not continue working with a union which is not respecting court orders.

“I have instructed my payroll people not to honour the doctor’s union dues because I will be abetting crime and disrespecting court orders. Enough is enough,” said Kuria.

The High Court last week ordered doctors to report to work to handle emergency cases pending the outcome of their Union’s negotiations with the government.

Kuria disclosed that he will be presenting a recommendation to the Cabinet Friday to have all national government workers hired on contract but pensionable terms as opposed to the current permanent and pensionable terms.

“There is not going to be anybody permanent anymore,” Kuria said.

He added: “I am not used to dishonesty. I cannot understand how you got for a meeting and agree on one thing, then two hours later people change goal posts on what you had agreed. It’s unfortunate that people as educated as doctors can lack honesty to that level. The amount of humiliation that we have been taken through by the union is unimaginable. This is the end of the circus. We cannot discuss in perpetuity.”

CS Kuria said he had been extremely patient and accommodative to the Doctors’ union having been allowed by the court to be included in the Whole-of-the-Nation Committee because his ministry handles matters human resource across government ministries, departments and agencies.

He expressed concern that the union has continued to disrespect court orders.

Kuria said he expected the public and civil rights movement to hold doctors to the same threshold of responsibility it holds government when it comes to respect for court orders.

The Whole-of-the-Nation Approach Committee that is chaired by the Chief of Staff and Head of the Civil Service, Felix Koskei, has been working behind closed doors as directed by the court with a view of bringing return-to-work formula.

Health CS Susan Nakhumicha said that the Committee had instructed their counsel to file a status report in court after the doctors failed to call off their strike.

“We have instructed our counsel to immediately move to court and file the status report as to what we had agreed to and initiated on as a return to work formula,” she said.

The Ministry has received Ksh6.1 billion to settle issues raised by the striking doctors.

Nakhumicha said the Committee had been equally directed to appeal to the court to review the orders that had been issued initially to allow the government to take necessary action to ensure that Kenyans continue to enjoy health care services.

CS Kuria said he had seen a lot of disproportionate treatment between CS Nakhumicha and the previous Cabinet Secretaries during industrial action.

“I have been around several Cabinet Secretaries – Cleopa Mailu, James Macharia and Mutahi Kagwe – and in those regimes there were industrial action. But for those ministers, matters were restricted to the issues at hand. For my sister here, it is the first time I have seen a lot of personalization of the issues. Is it because she is a woman,?” Kuria noted.

Council of Governors chairperson Anne Waiguru called on the striking doctors to resume duty with immediate effect, failing which the counties will be left with no option but to take necessary action against the striking doctors.