“We will sort you out” President urges Doctors on strike to return to work

President William Ruto has instructed striking doctors to resume work as their pleas will be handled.

Speaking earlier today at Uhuru Gardens, in his speech, Ruto told medics that the government is unable to meet all their demands wholly due to financial constraints; however, they might just be able to work with some of the demands they presented.

“We have tabled what the government is ready to do; 17 out of the 19 demands; the rest is not possible because of financial constraints.

I beseech doctors to go back to work; we will sort things out, fix the economy, and everyone will get their due in the future. We must be brutally honest with one another; there is no need to lie.” President Ruto said

Since March 14, the doctors have abandoned their duty stations and have been protesting the government’s failure to post medical interns and obey a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on doctors’ labor terms.

Instead of the Ksh.206,000 stipulated in the CBA, the government has offered the medical interns Ksh.70,000, an offer that doesn’t right with the doctors.

President Ruto asked doctors to reconsider their strike’s impact on the nation’s healthcare system and return to work for what he called the public’s welfare on Wednesday, as the walkout entered its 49th day.

What President Ruto Had advised Striking Doctors to do

The President, however, responded to the doctors’ plea for an increase in wages, telling them that they should understand that the country does not have the resources to increase wages for its workers and that they should live within their means as inflation is taking place everywhere.

“We must tell ourselves the truth: the time has come for us to live within our means. We cannot continue to spend the money we don’t have. We must be honest with ourselves, and the truth is that we must live within our means. We cannot borrow money to pay salaries.” President Ruto addressed the matter.