The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party today called for the immediate resignation of Kenya’s Health and Agriculture ministers, amid ongoing crises in the healthcare and agricultural sectors.
In their press statement, the opposition coalition expressed grave concern over the 27-day-long doctors’ strike that has disrupted healthcare services across the country, leading to the deaths of over 500 patients. The coalition accused the ruling Kenya Kwanza regime of “incompetency” in addressing the healthcare workers’ grievances, and described the government’s response as “inadequate” and “completely out of touch with the people.”
The statement also addressed the brewing scandal over the distribution of fake fertilizers to Kenyan farmers, an issue that the coalition says the government initially “denied” and dismissed as “fake news.” However, the Kenya Bureau of Standards has since confirmed that several fertilizer brands, including Kelphos Plus, Kelphis Gold, and NPK 10:26:10, do not meet quality standards.
Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party has demanded that the government immediately engage in “meaningful and transparent dialogue” with the striking doctors to find a long-term solution to the crisis. The coalition also called for the allocation of adequate resources to improve working conditions for healthcare professionals and the honoring of any outstanding Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) between the government and the doctors’ union.
“The Kenya Kwanza’s inability to address the grievances of the striking doctors endangers the population’s health and well-being. It also undermines the legitimacy and effectiveness of Kenya’s healthcare system,” the statement read.
Regarding the fake fertilizer scandal, the coalition demanded that the government immediately compensate all the farmers who have been affected by the distribution of substandard products. The coalition also called for the resignation of the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Mithika Linturi, for “policy failure and negligence in handling the fertilizer issue.”
“The Health Cabinet Secretary, Susan Nakhumicha MUST immediately resign from office for gross incompetency in mishandling the doctors strike,” the statement added.
The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party warned that if the government fails to resolve the health crisis, compensate the farmers, and accept the resignations of the said Cabinet Secretaries, the coalition will “not hesitate to join the already striking workers on the streets and mobilize Kenyans in exercising their rights to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition.”
