KMPDU Urges Ruto to Dissolve Kiambu Gov’t After 131 Deaths

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has called on President William Ruto to dissolve the Kiambu County government following the reported deaths of 131 newborns during an ongoing doctors’ strike. The union also demanded an apology from the Council of Governors (CoG), accusing it of denying the crisis and misleading the public about the situation in the county’s health facilities.

Doctors in Kiambu have been on strike for four months, protesting seven months of unpaid salaries. The strike has paralyzed services in several hospitals, leaving patients without care and sparking nationwide concern.

The outcry intensified after CoG Chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi dismissed reports of neonatal deaths, claiming they were unverified and politically motivated. Abdullahi said that Kiambu’s medical facilities were functioning normally and accused unnamed individuals of using the reports to undermine devolution and discredit county administrations.

KMPDU Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atellah strongly rejected those claims, describing the CoG’s statement as “pure mischief” and a “shameful dereliction of duty to protect life.” He said the council’s attempt to downplay the crisis showed “indifference and political malice” toward grieving families.

“We categorically reject the CoG’s assertion that health services in Kiambu are functional and that doctors are on duty,” Atellah said. “The death certificates, the grieving families and the empty cribs speak louder than words.”

Atellah further condemned the CoG for debating the number of deaths instead of addressing the loss of life. “How many more children must die before the county government and the CoG act?” he asked.

He blamed the ongoing crisis on systemic failures, neglect, and broken promises by the Kiambu County administration. “For 131 days, patients—the very wananchi who pay your hefty salaries—have suffered in dilapidated facilities that bear the hallmarks of looting and supervised destruction of our public healthcare system,” he added.

KMPDU demanded that the CoG retract its statement and issue a public apology to the affected families and the Kenyan public. The union also urged immediate engagement with healthcare workers to restore services in Kiambu and other counties affected by strikes.

“The president must dissolve the Kiambu County government for gross failure and criminal negligence in managing the county’s health sector,” Atellah said, describing the deaths as a “national tragedy and a national disgrace.”

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