A fresh dispute has erupted between the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC). The clash centers on a directive requiring all ambulances and emergency medical staff to register with the council by Monday, September 15.
The KMPDC Directive
The notice from KMPDC demands that ambulances, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and operators be registered. The council warned that non-compliance would attract sanctions, including a ban on operations.
Governors Push Back
CoG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi has strongly opposed the directive. In a letter dated September 9, he told county governments to ignore the order.
According to Abdullahi, ambulance services are a devolved function under the 2010 Constitution. He cited Article 186 and Part 2 of the Fourth Schedule, which assign ambulance services directly to counties.
“Counties have invested heavily in ambulance services over the past 12 years and set up functional referral systems. The KMPDC Act does not give the council authority over these services,” he argued.
Conflict of Mandates
Governors say the directive duplicates roles and undermines devolution. They also warn that creating parallel systems between counties and national agencies could lead to confusion, inefficiency, and extra costs.
On September 5, county health executives meeting in Mombasa rejected KMPDC’s draft standards for emergency medical care. They insisted that any framework must work with county-managed ambulance dispatch systems.
CoG’s Final Word
Abdullahi accused the Ministry of Health and its agencies of reneging on earlier agreements to consult with counties.
“We therefore advise county governments to disregard the public notice and treat it with the contempt it deserves,” he stated.
The Bigger Picture
The standoff highlights ongoing tensions between national health agencies and devolved units. With ambulances now at the center of the dispute, the outcome will shape how emergency services are managed across the country.
