Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) secretary general Dr Davji Atellah says he is lucky to be alive following what he describes as an ‘assassination attempt’.
The Union boss was reportedly shot at by a teargas cannister during recent protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD).
Images showed him soaked in blood after the incident and he eventually required several days of medical attention.
He maintains he was shot at by a ‘rogue’ police officer at close range.
“There’s no other way to explain that incident. Why would someone shoot at me,” he posed in an exclusive interview with Nairobi News.
He says he required a surgical procedure to mend his head and is still battling the side effects of the injury.
“I am currently grappling with intense headaches, dizziness, and some nausea, all stemming from the injury I sustained. What struck me caused a fracture in my skull, leading to internal bleeding,” explained Dr Atellah.
While acknowledging the existence of an ‘irresponsible faction’ within the police force, particularly at the individual level, Dr Atellah asserted that the attack was an attempt to ‘eliminate him’
“I know there is an irresponsible part of the police. But I would say confidently that it was attempting to eliminate me from the members, given the proximity of the shot being less than 100 meters,” he expressed.
Despite the setback, the Union boss says he will not be backing down in an attempt to safeguard interests of healthcare workers.
He said: “There’s a deliberate plan to make healthcare workers or doctors jobless after graduation. There are so many issues affecting healthcare, with the delays in posting of medical interns and the excuse that the government has been giving that there’s no budget to it.”
“So you stay over one or two years, then the benefit of even going to school is not there because you lose even the knowledge that you’ve earned. Medicine is about skills, and skills have to continuously be practiced,” he said.
He has urged the Ministry of Health to abide by the law and post the interns to their workstations as soon as possible.
