The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers have refuted allegations by Inspector General (IG) of Police Japheth Koome of causing discomfort to patients in hospitals and general public nuisance during their demonstrations.
According to the IG, the medics have been lying on the streets, obstructing highways, public roads and disrupting free flow of vehicles and movement of people during their demonstrations.
“The Service has witnessed and received reports of the inconveniences arising from the strike, with medics lying on the streets thus obstructing highways, public roads and disrupting the free flow of vehicles and movement of people. They have also become a public nuisance, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas during the demonstrations thus causing discomfort to patients in hospitals and general public.” Koome said.
The clinicians led by their Secretary General George Gibore, rubbished the claims saying that the IG Koome’s assertion lacked substantiation, adding that the information was meant to misinform the public.
“The insinuation that the use of whistles and vuvuzelas during demonstrations constitutes a public nuisance causing discomfort to patients and disrupting hospital operations is unfounded. KUCO unequivocally denounces the IG’s statements as baseless and fabricated with the intent to misinform the public,” Gibore said.
Gibore noted that demonstrations by healthcare workers have always been conducted peacefully without any reported incidents of obstruction or disruption adding that no complaints have been lodged by the said individuals, patients or hospitals as claimed by the Koome and CS Kithure Kindiki last week.
“We advise that instead of instilling fear to the public and the striking clinical officers and doctors, the IG should focus on maintaining law and order and apprehending perpetrators, rather than casting aspersions on the striking healthcare workers and the public,” Gibore said.
Koome on Sunday said medics have become a public nuisance through their demonstrations even as the strike enters week 5.