KMPDU backs Atellah for Lang'ata MP to push workers' rights

KMPDU National Chairperson Dr Abidan Mwachi speaks on behalf of the union on Sunday, October 18, after it endorsed Secretary-General Dr Davji Atellah for the Lang’ata parliamentary seat.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has endorsed its Secretary-General Davji Atellah for the Lang’ata parliamentary seat, saying it wants workers’ rights and welfare addressed through legislation.

Speaking in Naivasha on Sunday, October 18, the union’s National Advisory Council unanimously endorsed Atellah’s candidature, with its leaders arguing that workers need direct representation in Parliament to influence decisions on labour rights, employment conditions and healthcare.

KMPDU National Treasurer Dr Mercy Nabwire said the union had decided to pursue political representation to ensure workers’ concerns shaped legislation rather than depend on other leaders to speak for them.

“We are going to get our issues directly addressed. And we are going to begin having legislation that speaks to the reality of workers, the realities of what it means to be a worker in Kenya,” Nabwire explained.

She argued that workers had remained on the margins of political decision-making despite their contribution to the country.

“What we are seeing right now in this country is two classes of citizens. We have the political elite class, and then we have the poor citizens of this country that for a very long time, nobody thinks about them,” Nabwire observed.

She described labour struggles as part of the wider fight for social justice, saying the union wanted workers’ concerns to shape parliamentary debates.

“The struggles of workers, labour struggles, are actually struggles for social justice,” she noted.

Nabwire added that KMPDU wanted Parliament to put workers and the wider population at the centre of its decisions.

“We are going to make sure that moving forward, everything that is discussed in the parliament is centred around people, is centred around workers, because without workers, we would not have this country called Kenya,” she said.

The endorsement comes amid longstanding disputes over doctors’ employment conditions, including pay adjustments, promotions, medical cover and the implementation of collective bargaining agreements.

The issues have featured in negotiations between doctors’ representatives and the government, placing working conditions and healthcare delivery at the centre of the union’s advocacy.

Atellah’s bid also comes as political activity gathers around the Lang’ata parliamentary seat ahead of the 2027 General Election.

His potential candidacy puts the union’s push for workers’ representation in the wider constituency contest.

Nabwire said the union also expected Atellah to champion access to healthcare and other constitutional rights.

Dr Abidan Mwachi, KMPDU’s national chair, said trade unionists could influence national development by participating directly in political decision-making.

“History is replete with examples of trade unionists who went and sat at the table, and that is when the history and trajectory of their countries changed,” Mwachi noted.

He argued that union leaders could influence national decisions by securing positions in institutions where policies are made.