Government releases Sh3.5b to clear doctors' salary arrears

Doctors demonstrating outside Afya house in Nairobi on April 9th 2024. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

The government has released the second and final batch of basic salary arrears owed to doctors under the 2017-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

In a letter to the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni Muriuki confirmed that the payment, amounting to Sh3.5 billion, had been processed and forwarded to banks for disbursement to doctors' accounts.

"By-product instructions have also been forwarded to the respective banks for onward crediting into the doctors' accounts," the letter from Muriuki seen by The Standard, read in part.

This marks the conclusion of a long-running dispute over salary arrears, following the signing of the return-to-work formula and its addendum in December 2024.

The first instalment was paid in the same month.

PS Muthoni assured that the government remains committed to honoring its obligations to health workers while fostering collaboration with the union to strengthen the country's health system.

KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah welcomed the development, terming it a "historic victory" for doctors and the wider labor movement after seven years of relentless pursuit.

"Congratulations to all the doctors as they smile to the banks!!! This is your victory. Now, let us continue serving our patients with renewed strength and compassion," he stated.

At the same time, Atellah challenged governors to also hold their end of the bargain and promote all the deserving doctors, and also provide a functional medical cover.

The settlement now crowns the union's push for full implementation of the 2017 CBA, which has been at the heart of successive industrial actions and negotiations in the health sector.