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City Hall issues show cause letters to striking doctors

Speaking to reporters Thursday, County Secretary Robert Ayisi pointed out that City Hall has also obtained a court order declaring the strike illegal and the hearing of the case is set for Friday/FILE

Speaking to reporters Thursday, County Secretary Robert Ayisi pointed out that City Hall has also obtained a court order declaring the strike illegal and the hearing of the case is set for Friday/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – The Nairobi County Government has issued show cause letters to striking doctors after they boycotted their duties once again even after the signing of a return to work formula.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, County Secretary Robert Ayisi pointed out that City Hall has also obtained a court order declaring the strike illegal and the hearing of the case is set for Friday.

He warned that should they not have responded within seven days, a recommendation will be made to the County Public Service Board which will initiate the procedures for suspension and eventual dismissal.

“We have a total of 195 medical officers who are not on duty. We also have interns whom we have advised that if they cannot work, they go back to the Ministry for re-deployment,” he said.

“You do not just wake up and sack somebody. You go through a process. Issue show cause letters then give them about seven days or so to respond and if they do not then go through the County Advisory Committee which commences the sacking.”

Ayisi insisted that the strike was in bad faith as the County Government had met most of the demands of the doctors.

“We had signed a return to work formula on September 30th and the County has actually fulfilled almost all the conditions listed therein. We have issued thirty seven confirmation letters. We have promoted doctors in the common cadres, that is job groups L to N,” he stated.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) had blamed the current strike on the Nairobi County Government.

Speaking to Capital FM News on Tuesday, the union’s Nairobi Branch Secretary General Thuranira Kaugiria said City Hall had failed to fully implement a return-to-work formula it signed with the doctors last month.

According to Kaugiria, the county had betrayed the goodwill by doctors who agreed to call off the strike after they sealed an agreement with City Hall.

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The Secretary General faulted a directive issued by the County Secretary Robert Ayisi ordering the striking medics to return to work immediately or risk losing their jobs, saying that the union will not be intimidated.

In a statement dated October 24, 2016, Ayisi said that the county had fulfilled four key issues contained in last month’s return to work agreement which include issuance of 53 appointment letters and promotion of a similar number of medical officers in job groups M and N.

The County Secretary also noted in the statement that City Hall had confirmed the appointment of 37 medical officers and effected the inclusion of doctors missing in the payroll and paid their arrears in full to the tune of Sh34 million.

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