KMPDU presses Ruto government to clear doctors’ arrears, update payslips

By Newsflash Repoter

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has renewed pressure on the government to pay all outstanding 2024–2025 salary arrears owed to doctors and ensure payslips reflect revised pay scales agreed upon in last year’s return-to-work deal.

In a statement issued on Thursday, September 11, union chairperson Abidan Mwachi urged the administration to honor the commitments it made in the May 2024 agreement with the Ministry of Health. He emphasized that while progress has been made in settling long-standing arrears dating back to 2017, the next urgent step is aligning doctors’ current pay structures with the revised basic salaries.

“With the same clarity of purpose, we now focus on full payment of the 2024–2025 arrears and ensuring every payslip reflects the new basic salary rates,” Mwachi said.

Progress made but union demands full compliance

Mwachi confirmed that a second batch of arrears is already being processed, directing doctors to check their bank accounts and report confirmations as has been the union’s tradition. He commended doctors for their patience and resilience during years of protests, petitions, and threats.

“Brothers and sisters, it has been seven long years, countless nights marked by tear gas and petitions, sackcloth and ashes, threats and intimidation, protests and prayers. You stayed the course. Your Union delivered,” he stated.

The ongoing disbursement of arrears comes nearly a year after President William Ruto pledged to clear Sh3.5 billion in salary arrears within two years. A circular issued in July 2024 instructed that the payments be made in two phases, with the first batch disbursed immediately and the second spread out until mid-2026.

Union’s call for accountability and consistency

While acknowledging the progress, KMPDU insists that the government must not stall on implementing the updated pay structure. Mwachi stressed that honoring the agreement is key to preventing future disruptions in the health sector and safeguarding trust between the union and the state.

“The settlement of arrears is a victory, but we must ensure that no doctor is left behind and that every payslip reflects the new structure without delay,” Mwachi reiterated.

The union has long argued that fair compensation is not only a matter of workers’ rights but also critical to sustaining quality healthcare in public hospitals. With thousands of doctors depending on the updated salaries, the KMPDU warned that unresolved arrears could reignite industrial action, undermining progress made in stabilizing the health sector.

For now, doctors across Kenya are closely monitoring their bank accounts and payslips as the government continues to process payments, even as pressure mounts for the Ministry of Health to fulfill its obligations in full.