Sakaja to doctors: You've 12 hours to return to work or else
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has given striking county doctors a 12-hour ultimatum to resume work in an offer he says will end in the replacement of those who will ignore the directive. https://shorturl.at/egqvX
Transcript
00:00 We've listened to the issues and we want to announce the following.
00:05 Number one, the issues, the main issues that led to the strike notice and the strike that
00:13 has been going on are number one, the issue of posting of interns, number two, the issue
00:20 of comprehensive medical insurance, number three, there was the issue of delayed salaries
00:27 and remuneration, and of course the issue of promotions.
00:31 The other issues that included absorption of staff who then were working in the defunct
00:38 NMS, that is for Nairobi specific.
00:42 When you look at the main issues, the main issues are not caused by Nairobi and are not
00:48 Nairobi issues.
00:51 If my brother from Citizen TV has a problem, you don't have a strike in the nation.
00:57 The strike is at Citizen.
00:59 And so we have agreed on a matrix of resolving our issues and have allowed our doctors to
01:06 hold a meeting early morning.
01:08 But as the employer, I have implored upon them that you cannot be on strike for issues
01:15 of another employer.
01:17 We have met with the public service board as well, who have joined us, represented by
01:23 the office of the chair and the CEO's office, by the deputy CEO, and we even made a phone
01:29 call to the leadership of the public service board.
01:36 When we came in, we gave a commitment to be fair because we need all of this, no matter
01:43 how they come into our facilities, we need them to come on board, but through our legal
01:49 processes as outlined in the law.
01:53 I'm very happy in the meeting I had, beyond the union, we had individual doctors.
01:59 And those doctors have said that they themselves have still been offering services, they just
02:04 want to know whether they will get an opportunity to serve in Nairobi county government.
02:10 We have consulted with the board and have reiterated the commitment that I had made.
02:16 Of course you understand that the employer is the public service board, but we have implored
02:21 upon them, just as you've done in other cadres, that you first start with those who are in
02:27 your facilities, who have been offering services, who have been, you know, providing much needed
02:34 health care to the people of Nairobi county.
02:39 We have been following the process in the courts, including the directions issued today
02:43 by Justice Baram Ongaya, and we are telling our officers, because I have told my CEOs
02:49 to be on standby, because we need our hospitals full of medical personnel.
02:57 I have given the doctors in Nairobi 12 hours to show up in our hospitals.
03:08 Those who want to continue working with the county of Nairobi have 12 hours to show up
03:16 in our hospitals, because the mandate I have is to ensure that I provide health care to
03:24 the people of Nairobi.
03:27 The only concession we can give is if there's that early morning meeting, and then we start
03:32 at 9am.
03:33 [End of Audio] Duration: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
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