Kenya's Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome has branded striking doctors in the East African nation as "public nuisance."
"The (national police) service has witnessed and received reports of the inconveniences arising from the (doctors') strike, with medics lying on the streets thus obstructing highways, public roads and disrupting free flow of vehicles and movement of people," Koome said in a statement on Sunday.
"The medics have become a public nuisance, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas during the demonstrations, thus causing discomfort to patients in hospitals and general public."
Koome further said that the doctors have been engaging in demonstrations "without notifying the police", contrary to the Kenyan constitution.
Opposition threatens to join strike
Kenya's opposition leaders have threatened to join doctors on the streets if the government fails to meet the demands of the medical practitioners.
Koome termed the opposition's plan "a move that poses a threat to public safety and security," saying it would "cause havoc and terror to the public."
"In the interest of national security therefore, all respective police commanders have been instructed to deal with such situations firmly and decisively in accordance with the law," Koome said.
"We wish to caution all doctors to refrain from infringing on the rights of others while demonstrating, and that their efforts to disrupt smooth operations of hospitals will not be tolerated," he added.
Strike enters one month
The nationwide doctors' strike started on March 15, with the doctors' union demanding that medical practitioners on internship be paid 206,000 Kenyan shillings monthly ($1,620).
The government insists that it doesn't have enough money to pay the intern doctors, offering 70,000 Kenyan shillings ($550) per month instead.
The striking medical practitioners are also demanding from the government a comprehensive medical cover for doctors, the posting of 1,200 medical interns and full payment of salary arrears.
The doctors' union further accuses the government of failing to implement a raft of promises from a collective bargaining agreement signed in 2017.
Health services paralysed
Due to the ongoing strike, health services especially in public hospitals, have been significantly paralysed.
A majority of Kenyans seek treatment in public hospitals because they are more affordable than private hospitals.
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