Good morning,

The government and doctors have been at loggerheads for weeks now and by the looks of things, issues on salaries and intern doctors if not unresolved, will paralyze the health sector.

Talks to end the strike hit a snag at the end of March after the government side refused to engage the striking medics any longer until they called off their work boycott.

Speaking on Sunday, President William Ruto appealed to striking doctors to reconsider their stance, noting that the country is struggling with ballooning wage bills and meagre resources to meet their demands for a pay rise.

The president said the amount spent on salaries and wage bills is unrealistic hence there is a need to revise the entire chain of input and output noting that the country is spending 47 per cent of annual revenue on wage bills instead of 35 as required by the law.

Responding to the President, But in response, The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) SG Davji Atellah stated that what they’re asking for now is what was agreed upon in the 2017 CBA after compromising with the government’s requests at that time.

“We can not backtrack on our salaries to exploitation in the name of the wage bill. The doctors’ salary is anchored on CBA, and it is important like the salary of any Kenyan,” the SG said.

With the push and pull between the doctors and the government, there is a need to come to a consensus and solve the impasse.

Meanwhile, here are stories making headlines on Opera News today;

Politics of betrayal: Former President Uhuru Kenyatta says some leaders are traitors

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has rekindled the politics of betrayal in the country after launching a scathing attack on traitors in the political scene.

Mr Kenyatta, not mincing his words, took on some political leaders whom he termed as traitors, lamenting how the political field in Kenya is full of betrayal.