KMPDU Supports CS Duale’s Directive, Condemns Exploitation of Foreign Doctors in Kenya

By : Mweru Mbugua 

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has expressed strong support for Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale’s directive on the employment of foreign doctors, citing widespread violations of labour, immigration, and remuneration laws that undermine medical ethics and patient safety

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, KMPDU Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atellah described the directive as legally sound and a crucial step against what he termed “modern-day slavery” in parts of Kenya’s private healthcare sector

According to the union, over 300 foreign doctors have been licensed to practise in Kenya in recent years, with more than 3,000 having worked in the country over the past three years

While KMPDU does not oppose foreign doctors working in Kenya, it criticizes private and mission hospitals for exploiting them under terms that violate Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) regulations

“Many of these doctors are paid wages far below what is stipulated in the CBA and gazetted rates, some as low as Sh40,000 to Sh50,000 per month,” Dr. Atellah said. “That is exploitation, plain and simple. It harms the doctors and corrodes ethical medical practice”

The union also alleged that some facilities ignore immigration laws by employing foreign doctors without valid work permits or bypassing the requirements of Class D work permits

Moreover, employers often fail to justify that the imported skills are unavailable locally, despite thousands of Kenyan doctors being unemployed or underemployed

Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Miskellah Maghanga compared the situation to the controversial importation of Cuban doctors in previous years, saying it undermined local practitioners and forced them to accept poor working conditions

“We were told experts were being brought in, yet we ended up teaching them more than they taught us,” Dr. Maghanga said. “Bringing foreign doctors to disadvantage our own trained doctors is self-sabotage.”

KMPDU singled out private facilities that prioritize profits over patient welfare, recruiting doctors from countries including India, Egypt, and Pakistan under “impossible expectations” while paying inadequate wages

The union warned that such practices compromise patient care, particularly for poorer Kenyans

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“These physicians are not being hired to fill genuine skills gaps. No properly qualified doctor would willingly accept such pay. The result is compromised care, and the Kenyan patient pays the price,” Dr. Maghanga added

The union also linked recent healthcare scandals, including issues in kidney transplant services, to lax enforcement of immigration and remuneration laws

In response, KMPDU announced a nationwide compliance campaign to ensure full enforcement of labour, immigration, and professional regulations

The campaign will monitor employment conditions for both local and foreign doctors and demand adherence to all stipulated pay rates

“KMPDU is taking an unyielding stand against the exploitation of doctors,” Dr. Atellah said. “We support the CS’s directive and will not relent until all facilities comply with the law and ensure equal pay for equal work”

The union further called on immigration authorities and labour regulators to step up enforcement, warning that continued inaction would further erode public trust in Kenya’s medical system