Nairobi, Kenya: Court has directed COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli to lead negotiations to bring an end to doctors’ strike. The judge further suspended the doctors’ union jail term for seven days.
The meeting is to include COTU, KMPDU officials, Council of Governor, the Treasury, Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and other Government organs.
Earlier the Court of Appeal declined to suspend the one-month sentence given by a lower court. Appellate judges Hannah Okwengu, GBM Kariuki and Jamila Mohammed ruled that the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) had not presented enough reasons to convince them to suspend their impending jail sentence.
We do not find it appropriate to issue any orders at this stage of the appeal. We are also not persuaded by their application to stop proceedings of their case at the Industrial Court, which led to their conviction," ruled the judges.