31

st
July 2014
UPDATE TO MEMBERS
Dear colleagues,
Allow me to update you on a few issues
PROMOTIONS AND POST GRADUATE FEES
We met the CS and PS on these issues about a month ago and agreed in principle on what was to be
done in certain set timelines. Inevitably, all the timelines lapsed without conclusion. However, thanks
largely to the sustained follow-up by Dr Somba, we have made great progress on both fronts.
Eight million shillings should be paid as fees and for those who will miss out letters of undertaking will
be provided. With regard to the new requirement that full fees be paid for every year extension of
masters training, union lawyers have already written to the university to put this demand in writing so
that we can take them to task over it. In short it is not acceptable and we have already agreed with the
affected doctors that we will not accept these illegal charges.
Officers going for postgraduate studies have to be released by their respective counties who, as per the
gazetted guidelines on seconded staff, will continue to pay their salaries. Several counties have made
provisions to pay fees for the doctors they send for postgraduate studies. This will however not stop us
from pursuing the full payment of school fees by MOH who have a responsibility to train health workers.
Promotion letters for about 550 doctors were readied early this month. A further 64 have been
prepared following a meeting on Thursday at Afya house. With regard to implementation, this is to be
done at the county and the PS has agreed to do a cover letter to the counties requesting
implementation of the same.
However, starting July 1
st
2014, the ministry will no longer be accepting any applications for promotions.
These are to be made out to the county public service boards.
Registration certificates post internship are now ready at the board within two weeks of application
provided all requirements have been met regardless of what time of the year the application is made.
Outgoing interns please take note.
PAYMENT OF INTERNS
The current group of interns has a very effective committee: Dr Hamisii, Dr Okaka and team, and I urge
each and every intern to respect and support this committee. The KMPDU NEC has worked with this
committee both at posting and now at the point of payment and in both instances, they have given
110%.
At the moment of posting, we made it clear that the first salaries for interns would be paid at the end of
July. I therefore expected anxiety over salaries to start in August not July. We have confirmed that the
Ministry is working on keeping its promise and that money is already available for this. It has however
emerged that the internship programme may have been abused in the past to pay ghost workers. The
Ministry is therefore sending representatives to confirm the physical presence of the interns at their
respective stations. This is a welcome process that all interns, and indeed all doctors, should cooperate
with. In salary cycles, end of July does not mean the literal 31
st
July, otherwise receiving salaries on the
24
th
would be anomalous. Granted, later than 31
st
represents a delay but that delay does not warrant a
strike as has been suggested by some. We are satisfied with the assurance that all interns will be paid in
the next 10 days or so. Should alternative action be required, we will communicate through the
committee. This is the best assurance we can give.
I want to reiterate that KMPDU cannot force anyone to follow our advice. Interns who find the work of
the committee inadequate are therefore free to explore options for further reassurance provided they
do it themselves and not push the responsibility of satisfying this need to a committee that has already
given 110%.
NEW MEDICAL OFFICERS
Many new MOs were paid only up to 8th of June. A few were paid only up to the end of April. The cause
was that these were the times the internship payments were coming to an end on IPPD and the
transition to MOship had not been provided for in many counties. Obviously this was a major issue and
we are pleased solutions have been found in most centres. The biggest challenges were faced in Nyeri
and Kiambu Counties, but the Nyeri CEC health has been most helpful, and we look forward to full
rectification of the problem. Indeed, the Nyeri MOs have confirmed that the arrears are visible on
GHRIS. The CO health Kiambu County has also expressed a willingness to resolve the issues and we
expect to see this pass in the coming days.
As per a letter from the PS on 30
th
May 2014, the internship counties were to pay salaries until the end
of June while the receiving counties were to take over payment thence.
It is very important to point out that these new MOs are also seconded officers.
MTRH
We have issued a strike notice to MTRH citing a number of issues that are longstanding. There are
currently engagements with the management of the institution through North Rift branch but should we
fail to reach a reasonable agreement, the strike will start on the 4
th
of August.
THE HEALTH BILL
The union has been engaged in a lot of activities relating to the health bill in the last three months. Two
months ago, the prevailing iteration of the bill had reintroduced the HSC. However, we are reliably
informed that Cabinet had declined to forward the bill for as long as any such body existed. It is not clear
to us why Cabinet would make such a decision but as a direct consequence of this objection, the HSC
has been removed once again.
CIC has organized meetings at KSG this week and next week but its intention has nothing to do with
promoting health. The focus seems to be on the politics of health, and the bill as drafted is undergoing
major changes pretty much being bulldozed at the meeting by the attending CEC commissioners.
All is not lost, but it would be wise to pray for wisdom and honesty of the process drivers, otherwise we
risk entrenching the anarchy that exists today and casting further shadows on the public health sector.
CBA
The SRC has now had our CBA for thirteen months. It seems their intention is to have it lapse before it is
ever registered and that is only eleven months away. We have pleaded severally with SRC to be
reasonable and fair, but that is not the kind of language Moi era civil servants are likely to respond to
and indeed they have not. I believe their reason is that they believe we are impotent and unable to act.
Are we? We will be calling for a one day nationwide demonstration against SRC should the latest round
of efforts fail. We will hold these periodically and may escalate to a full blown strike if all else fail. We
have waited too long and we have been far too patient.
COMMUNICATION AND UNION ACTIVITY
At the inception of our Union, we communicated very frequently through every forum available. Over
time, this has settled down to more realistic rates. Additionally, the unions annual delegates committee
resolved to stop posting official communiqus on Facebook and we are determined to stick to this
policy. Unfortunately, communication is often associated with activity and the drastic reduction has led
many to believe that the Union is inactive. Far from it, we are probably busier this year than we were
most of last year. With devolution, just to keep the sun in the sky sometimes takes an inordinate
amount of work. I also assure you that as infrequent as our communication to members is, we are still
infinitely more frequent than most unions in the country.
The current communication channel is via email through the branch secretaries. This means that every
doctor should ensure that their correct email address and phone numbers are with their respective
branches. I know many will be waiting for someone to contact them to ask them for their details, and
this is likely to happen eventually, but chances are you would end up waiting for a very long time and it
would not be your branchs fault. Please play your part.
KMPDU CONSTITUTION REVIEW
The committee leading the review of the constitution presented a proposed new constitution a while
back. Input has been very scant. We are all urged to read the document and provide feedback. There
will be a NAC meeting on the 9
th
of August primarily to conclude this process.
KMPDB ELECTIONS
Medical board elections will take place in October. All retained doctors will be sent ballots via registered
mail and allowed to vote and therefore do take a keen interest in this. In the spirit of being the change
or agents of change we want, Dr Bosire, Dr Dawa, Dr Mwachi and I are considering running for positions
on the board. Should we choose to do so, please support and vote for us.
PUSETU VS COTU
Opinions are divided on this matter and here I am directly campaigning for my strong personal
preference not the Unions inclination, but I also believe it is by far the right step for the union. Workers
in this country often find themselves pleading and begging for consideration from leaders often
unsuccessfully. This is because we have failed to unite around the interests of workers in general. I
believe that the day teachers, nurses, doctors, lecturers and all other workers will speak with one voice,
this country will stand up and take note. COSATU in South Africa is so powerful that it can determine
who wins an elections and politicians recognize that. It is time we demonstrated the power of the real
producers in this country.
Federations are trade unions for trade unions. What a trade union is unable to achieve alone, it may be
able to achieve with the help of other trade unions but for that to happen, the trade unions agenda has
to be the agenda of the federation, therefore a way to make KMPDUs agenda the agenda of the
federation has to be clear. The only realistic way of having this happen is through PUSETU. It is also most
untrue that this is a government project. This is a federation that has attained registration through a
difficult three year long court battle. It was purely a matter of opportunity that this was concluded
during a personal feud between Hon. Kambi and Hon. Atwoli. That in my opinion has been a blessing to
all workers. During the devolution battles, we suffered greatly from the effects of political propaganda.
We must therefore be wary of this very same tool very much in use in this case as well.
Granted, some of the people in PUSETU hold dubious pasts, but the very real prospect, for example, of a
joint industrial action incorporating doctors, teachers lecturers and nurses provides power that has not
been witnessed in the Kenyan industrial relations space since independence. This axis of workers can
achieve a million signatures for a referendum in a week for the fun of it and will pose a distinct political
shift in favour of workers. Despite my gratitude to COTU, I find it pro-status quo which allows
institutions like the SRC, where COTU has a commissioner, to frustrate us as much as they have, with
utter impunity.
Change is needed. It is time to empower the workers.
PRAYER
The plans of man are many but only Gods plan will see the light of day, therefore do pray to the one
who truly decides whether we succeed or not. Do pray for KMPD: it remains the best hope for doctors in
Kenya and may God bless us all.
Dr Victor Ngani
Chairman