The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has announced plans for a protest march in Nairobi County on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, to highlight key medical concerns.
In a statement issued on Friday, KMPDU stated that the demonstration aims to demand the immediate posting of medical interns and the creation of a Public Officer Medical Fund.
The union criticized the prolonged neglect of these issues, stressing that the delays have left doctors, medical interns, and healthcare workers increasingly frustrated.
The demos will be led by KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atela and the Union of Kenya Civil Servants(UKCS) Secretary General Tom Odege.
The unions have urged all doctors and healthcare workers to assemble at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) before marching to voice their demands.
“Ready for Tuesday. KMPDU & UKCS take to the streets on March 18, 2025. Gathering at KNH, marching to demand medical intern postings and a Public Officer Medical Fund,” KMPDU declared.
The union has called on the government to resolve these longstanding issues affecting medical professionals before the planned demonstrations.
Previous negotiations between the unions and the government have mostly ended without a lasting solution, leading to repeated strikes.
Despite the signing of a return-to-work formula on May 8, 2024, and the suspension of a strike on January 23, 2025, to allow room for dialogue, the county is said to be disregarding their pleas and ignoring them.
On Thursday, March 13, doctors in Nairobi who have been on strike for over a fortnight called on the county leadership to resolve the issues raised. They warned that failure to do so would result in the continuation of the strike, which continues to compromise services in the capital.
“The county has disappointed us; we have had numerous engagements with them, but they have fulfilled none of the agreements in the CBA.”
“Some of the things the county is doing unjustly is dismissing doctors without protocol, without a showcase or warning letter,” one of the doctors decried during a protest on Tuesday, March 11.
