Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi has proved to be a hard nut to crack when it comes to cornering him. Even as local legislators and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) gang against him over alleged death of newborns occasioned by the on going doctors’ strike, the governor has stuck to his guns and affirmed that he won’t negotiate with the union, “until all the doctors who are on strike goes back to their work stations’.
“Let those who are paid to go to the street go ahead and do it but it should dawn on them that my administration don’t work through external coercion. We don’t have money to pay people who are relaxing at home at the expense of our patients,” Wamatangi told Kiambu Observer, Today, Wednesday October 8,2025.
Kiambu County Assembly Leader of Majority Godfrey Mucheke who spoke during a public gathering in Lari accused KMPDU of fabricating figures hoping to discredit the governor and ‘lynch’ him in the public court. “The union should apologise to the people of Kiambu and the country for giving false information regarding the number of newborns in county public hospitals,” he said.
On Tuesday, KMPDU announced a change in the date of its planned demonstration, pushing it from today Wednesday, October 8, 2025, to Monday, October 13, 2025. The union through its Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah said the decision was made to allow for more consultations with relevant stakeholders, as doctors continue pressing for accountability, better working conditions, and improved healthcare services.
“This adjustment is intended to ensure broader participation, effective co-ordination, and meaningful engagement with all relevant stakeholders as we continue to demand accountability and dignified working conditions for doctors, as well as quality healthcare for all Kenyans.” Added he, “KMPDU remains unwavering in its commitment to defending the rights of healthcare workers and upholding the highest standards of service to the nation.”
The KMPDU boss had earlier criticized the Council of Governors (CoG) for what he termed an “indifferent and heartless” handling of the Kiambu health crisis, accusing the county bosses of trivializing the alleged deaths of 136 newborns. He said that the union was shocked and outraged by the CoG’s dismissal of the reports as “pure mischief” and “false publication.”
The union described the COG’s statement as a systemic failure and negligence by county governments, saying the ongoing doctors’ strike in Kiambu was the result of “broken promises and blatant neglect.” Kiambu county Chief Officer for Health Services Dr. Patrick Nyagah has consistently maintained that the figures released by the union were “alarmist and inaccurate,” claiming that the reported numbers had been deliberately inflated to create panic.
