Atellah warns Kiambu County against silencing striking doctors
By Cy Muganda, July 25, 2025Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atellah has condemned the Kiambu County administration over its handling of the ongoing doctors’ strike, warning that attempts to intimidate health workers will not go unchallenged.
In a strongly worded statement posted on his X account on Friday, July 25, 2025, Atellah said the strike was both legal and justified, citing persistent grievances that remain unaddressed.
“The doctors’ strike in Kiambu is not just legal, it is justified,” Atellah wrote.
Unaddressed grievances
He listed delayed promotions, inadequate medical insurance, disregard for the constitutional right to strike, and threats of dismissal as some of the reasons behind the industrial action.
“These are not isolated grievances. They are evidence of a deeper rot — a county administration that has normalised contempt, neglect, and abuse,” he added.
Atellah further accused the county of trying to silence doctors through intimidation, emphasising that the union would remain defiant in defending the rights and dignity of its members.
“Tyranny thrives when people go quiet, but we are loud, organised, and relentless,” he said.
In a pointed message to the county leadership, Atellah described the union’s actions not as a plea for help but as a formal accusation of administrative failure.
“This is not an appeal. It is an indictment. Kiambu doctors are not begging. They are demanding dignity. We will not tolerate a care-less administration,” Atellah declared.
KMPDU’s stance
In an earlier statement, KMPDU defended the ongoing strike, asserting that it will continue until concrete actions are taken to address their demands.
“The Kiambu doctors’ strike is legal, and the reasons are clear: delayed promotions, poor medical insurance, disregard for the court-affirmed right to strike, and sustained threats of dismissal and intimidation,” the statement read.
KMPDU also accused the county leadership of systemic failures, warning that the current impasse is part of a broader pattern of mismanagement and disdain for healthcare workers.
“These are not isolated failures. They expose a pattern of contempt, neglect, and abuse by a county administration unfit to lead. “As KMPDU, we know that tyranny thrives on silence, so we keep raising our voices, and we are not stopping at that!” the union charged.