Nairobi Kenya — The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has issued a 14 days strike notice following a delay in posting of clinical interns across the country.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the Union accused the Ministry of Health of discrimination, stating that 1,840 interns have subsequently been left without placement even though the Ministry has recently placed other interns.

"Of great concern is the fact that we have seen other interns being posted without any communication and the Ministry of health has remained mute without giving the way forward for our interns," KUCO Secretary General George Gibore said.

"We want to give them an ultimatum of 14 days and if they will not have given us a way forward on the issues that we have raised then we will invoke article 37 and we will organize our members and start a peaceful demonstration," said Peterson Wachira chairperson of KUCO.

The interns were scheduled to be posted in December 2022, but the union claims that despite a budget being set aside for them, it is still unclear what would happen to them.

Wachira added that the government is not providing healthcare and the health industry the priority it deserves as a function of national interest.

He added that the Ministry is required by law to deploy clinical officer interns since it is a requirement for them to obtain a practicing license.

"This happens every year and budget has been set aside by Parliament for that purpose. These interns have been at home for more than eight months," Wachira said.

"We have no communication as to when they are supposed to be posted yet we have seen that others have been posted. This discrimination must end, whatever is good for one must also be given to the other one."

Now, the clinicians urge the ministry to be transparent about the start date for posting for other interns.

The Ministry had already posted the first batch of 874 medical interns as part of the commitments made by the ministry to avert a doctors' strike that was supposed to begin on January 6.