NAIROBI, Kenya — Medical services in Kiambu County are bracing for a full-blown shutdown as doctors, led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), prepare for a dramatic protest march on Thursday.
This comes amid a deepening health crisis that’s now in its second month and shows no signs of easing.
At the heart of the standoff? What doctors are calling an outright collapse of the county’s health system.
In a statement that pulled no punches, KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah said healthcare workers would down their tools and take to the streets starting at 10am.
The march will begin at Kiambu Level V Hospital and wind its way to the County Assembly before ending at Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s office.
“This is a fight for dignity, for justice, and for life,” Dr. Atellah declared Wednesday evening. “Hospitals are empty of doctors. Wards echo with silence. There are no drugs, no plans, and no leadership. Patients are suffering, and caregivers are working under threat.”
The KMPDU says the county government has failed to act meaningfully as the crisis escalates, choosing instead to vilify doctors and, in Dr. Atellah’s words, “weaponize public suffering.”
The union is warning that Thursday’s protest could mark the beginning of a larger, nationwide industrial action if Kiambu doesn’t act fast.
And the message to the powers that be is clear: doctors won’t sit silently.
“We will not negotiate with silence,” Atellah stated. “We will not retreat from our duty to protect life.”
The situation in Kiambu has worsened over the past few weeks. KMPDU recently demanded the immediate withdrawal of all medical officer interns from the county, citing unsafe working conditions and a toxic environment for training.
Deploying young doctors in a system without senior supervision, the union argues, isn’t just risky — it’s dangerous for both the interns and the patients.
Dr. Atellah emphasized that the ongoing strike has gutted the mentorship structure that interns rely on to safely navigate their training. Without that, he said, “we’re setting them up to fail — or worse.”
The KMPDU has called on the Ministry of Health to act urgently by transferring all affected interns to counties with functional health systems and proper supervisory frameworks. Until that happens, the union maintains, no intern should be working in Kiambu.
In what’s shaping up to be a dramatic showdown, Thursday’s protest is more than a demonstration — it’s a signal flare. And unless county leadership shifts its stance soon, it may just be the spark that pushes the national healthcare system into broader unrest.
“To the people of Kiambu: we are with you,” Dr. Atellah said. “To the government: we are watching.”
