Patients in Kiambu County may wake up to locked wards and empty corridors on Thursday morning. Kenya’s doctors’ union has ordered every medic in the county to down their tools, march through the streets, and demand answers after nearly two months of stalled talks.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) says the health system is cracking. Staffing is thin, drug stocks are low, and morale has evaporated. Their prescription: halt services, rally at Kiambu Level V Hospital at 10 a.m., then head to the County Assembly and the Governor’s office.
“The situation is dire: Hospitals without doctors. Patients without drugs. Caregivers under threat. Leaders without a plan,” said KMPDU Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atellah.
For 59 straight days, county medics have pressed for better pay, safer workplaces, and reliable supplies. Instead of dialogue, the union claims officials have scapegoated staff and “weaponized public suffering.”
“No healthcare worker should be forced to choose between their oath and their safety. No patient should die waiting in abandoned wards,” Dr. Atellah warned, vowing to escalate into a national strike if Kiambu remains unmoved.
Last week, KMPDU demanded that all newly posted medical officer interns be pulled out of the county, arguing that senior doctors, crucial for supervision, are absent. “Deploying interns in an environment where such support is absent puts both the interns and patients at risk,” the union said.
“To the people of Kiambu: we are with you. To the government: we are watching,” Dr. Atellah declared. Come Thursday, residents will see whether the county blinks or whether hospitals truly go dark.
