Nairobi, Kenya – The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) unveiled plans to hold protests at the Ministry of Health Offices in Upper Hill.

KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atella revealed that doctors allied to the union will hold the protests on Monday, July 8.

In the four days before next week, however, the doctors gave Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha five demands including posting all medical interns and paying them as per the collective bargaining agreement.

Other demands include the setting up of the Health Service Commission and the return of the Linda Mama programme.

Doctors further expressed their disapproval of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) whose registration process kicked off on July 1.

The protest comes barely two months after the doctors and the government reached an agreement following prolonged paralysis in hospitals after the health workers downed their tools.

The union signed a return-to-work formula with the state on May 8 ending a 56-day strike after reaching an agreement on more than 16 issues KMPDU raised.

The issue of interns’ placement and pay proved to be thorny since the doctors wanted them posted immediately while the government wanted the doctors to wait for a court’s decision.

The two parties however agreed to hold back the posting of interns for 60 days as talks continued.

“We had a long meeting today with the National Advisory Council which is the highest decision-making organ and they endorsed that we sign this return-to-work formula today so that it can pave the way for doctors to return to work within 24 hours from now,” Atellah stated at the time.

“All the doctor interns will have to wait a little bit longer, we have agreed on sixty days that they will not be posted but we will be having conversations on this issue.”

The pay for interns, who demanded a Ksh206,000 monthly salary, is likely to run into headwinds after President William Ruto shelved the Finance Bill in its entirety.