The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has condemned the arrest and alleged harassment of medical interns in Uganda who were protesting delayed deployment and payment.
In a statement issued on Sunday, August 16, 2026, KMPDU Secretary-General and CEO, Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah, said the union stands in solidarity with the affected interns and the wider Ugandan medical fraternity.
The statement followed the arrest of eight medical interns on August 12 along Parliamentary Avenue in Kampala while protesting delays in their deployment and payment. The interns were charged before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on Friday, August 14, and remanded to Luzira Prison.
They are accused of causing a nuisance on a public road and are expected to return to court today, Monday, August 17.
KMPDU described the interns’ demands for timely deployment, fair treatment and better working conditions as legitimate labour concerns rather than criminal conduct.
“Medical interns are an essential part of healthcare delivery across East Africa. Yet many continue to face delayed deployment, unpaid stipends, difficult working conditions and an overwhelming clinical burden,” Atellah said.
“Peacefully demanding fair treatment, timely deployment and dignified working conditions is a legitimate labour concern, not a crime,” he added.
KMPDU called for the immediate and unconditional release of all interns and healthcare workers detained for participating in peaceful demonstrations.
The Kenyan doctors’ union also urged Ugandan security agencies to end what it described as intimidation, violence and arbitrary arrests of healthcare workers exercising their fundamental rights.
Atellah called for meaningful dialogue between the Ugandan Government, the Ministry of Health and medical interns to resolve the longstanding internship crisis.
He further called for regional solidarity, arguing that challenges facing medical interns are shared across East Africa and require collective advocacy for decent working conditions in the healthcare sector.
“KMPDU stands firmly in solidarity with the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) and the entire Ugandan medical fraternity,” Atellah said.
He warned that sustainable healthcare systems cannot be built by silencing healthcare workers through fear, force or detention.
“Healthcare workers should not have to choose between serving their patients and defending their basic rights,” Atellah said.
