Atellah to lead doctors’ march to Thika in protest over healthcare crisis
By Mabonga Makhanu, August 6, 2025KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah has announced that he will be leading doctors in Kiambu in a protest march, with Thika Town as the final destination.
In an X post on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, Atellah stated that the march will take place on Thursday, August 7, under the banner “FINAL DESTINATION: TOTAL SHUTDOWN”.
He said the protest is not just about doctors’ welfare but a firm stand by Kenya’s healthcare workers and citizens. He noted that it is a declaration that they will no longer remain silent while hospitals deteriorate, medical professionals suffer, and patients are denied access to quality care.
“Tomorrow, Thursday, August 7th, we march to Thika Town for the FINAL DESTINATION: TOTAL SHUTDOWN. This is not just a protest; it is a resolute stand by Kenya’s healthcare workers and the people. A declaration that we will no longer sit silently as our hospitals crumble, our colleagues suffer, and our patients are denied their right to quality care,” Attellah stated.
Atellah further stated that the country’s health system has not broken down by accident but as a result of prolonged neglect, unfulfilled promises, and intentional underfunding.
He emphasised that the march is about more than just the call for better pay and safer working conditions. It is a fight to save the healthcare system and restore dignity to every Kenyan who has ever been let down by a collapsing facility.
“Our health system is broken not by chance, but by continued neglect, unkept promises, and deliberate underfunding. We are not just fighting for better pay and safer working conditions; we are fighting for the soul of this country’s healthcare system. We are fighting for every Kenyan who has ever been failed by a collapsing health facility,” he added.
The strike
This comes days after Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa gave the County Government of Kiambu seven days to resolve the ongoing doctors’ strike or face Senate action.
The strike, now in its 72nd day, has paralysed public healthcare in the county, leaving hospitals deserted and thousands of patients without critical care.
In a press release issued on Thursday, July 23, 2025, the senator condemned the county’s failure to meet doctors’ demands, which include unpaid salary arrears, delayed promotions, inadequate medical insurance, and poor working conditions.
The strike, spearheaded by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), has drawn national concern amid reports of deteriorating hospital operations and mass staff burnout.
Karungo described the situation as “unconscionable”, questioning how a county as resourceful as Kiambu continues to boast about revenue collection while failing to reinvest in essential health services and workforce welfare.
“It is unacceptable that public hospitals remain empty, patients suffer unattended, and frontline medics are left pleading for their rights,” read the post on his X. “The lives of our people must not be held hostage by bureaucratic indifference or political pride.”