Why doctors’ union bosses were jailed

A raging health crisis deepened yesterday as defiant doctors vowed not to return to work until their union officials are released from jail.

The seven Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials were yesterday jailed for one month by Justice Hellen Wasilwa after she refused to give them more time to conclude negotiations with the Government.

The court dispute began on December 1 last year, when the Council of Governors filed an application to stop the doctors' strike.

Justice Nelson Abuodha then issued an order suspending the strike for one month and directed that the disputed 2013 collective bargaining agreement between doctors and the Government be subjected to negotiations.

KPMDU defied the orders and proceeded with the strike.

The Government then filed for contempt and on December 19, Ms Wasilwa found the union officials guilty.

On January 12, she sentenced the officials to a suspended one-month jail term to give them time to conclude talks. She suspended the sentence again for seven days on February 3 and directed Central Organisation of Trade Unions boss Francis Atwoli and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to mediate and end the stalemate.

Yesterday, Wasilwa ruled that she had given the union officials enough time to resolve the dispute but they had not presented any evidence to prove they were committed to ending the 74-day strike.

"There is no valid reason presented or new evidence brought to court to make me vary the one-month sentence. Time has now elapsed and my order still stands. They must now start the jail sentence," she ruled.

The judge directed negotiations to resolve the dispute to continue as the union's seven officials - Samuel Oroko, Fredrick Oluga, Titus Ondoro, Allan Ochanji, Hamisi Chibanzi, Daisy Korir and Evelyne Chege - serve the sentence.

But doctors, who thronged the Industrial and Labour Relations Court, vowed there would be no further negotiations until the seven were released.