KMPDU raises concerns over interns working in Kiambu hospitals
By Luke Oluoch, October 3, 2025The KPMDU regional Secretary of Central Kenya, Bill Muriuki, has opened up on how the ongoing doctors’ crisis has severely affected healthcare in Kiambu County.
Speaking to a local TV on Friday, October 3, 2025, Muriuki explained that the interns, who had been posted to the various health facilities in the county by the Ministry of Health, posed a significant health threat.
“You would rather go to a hospital and find it closed rather than have incompetent personnel and lose a life. Health is a very critical matter; you might have a good cover, but when you are being treated by someone who just finished his studies last year. That is a great crime. When you have someone who is not experienced and seeing patients,” he stated.
Muriuki clarified that the absence of senior doctors in the facilities prompted the posting of the interns.
“The reason why there are no senior doctors is that they are on strike. The interns are not employed. They have been posted there by the Ministry of Health. They are merely doing their part in studying and could move anywhere later.
According to Muriuki, the Ministry of Health withdrew interns from county hospitals on August 26, 2025, as a precautionary measure in response to the dire situation caused by the strike
“The CS wrote to the governor stating that they will be pulling the interns out, as there was nobody to supervise them. The ministry has removed them for their training, as nothing is happening, and to protect lives. These are very junior colleagues in the profession. In fact, they should not see someone unsupervised,” he stated.
His remarks come as the county dismissed reports that a doctors’ strike has paralysed health services in the region.
The County Government, through its Chief Officer for Health Patrick Nyagah, on Friday, October 3, 2025, maintained that all hospitals in Kiambu are operational and continue to serve residents despite ongoing disputes with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU).
“The first misconception is that doctors in Kiambu aren’t working, as has been drawn by the union in the public arena. I want to say that doctors in Kiambu are working.
“The question is, how many doctors are on duty? Not all doctors are working, but a sizable proportion are working. All our hospitals are operational,” he said.