The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has protested what it terms the persecution of doctors, following the arrest and continued detention of Dr. Job Obwaka, 79, amid an ongoing dispute over the leadership of Nairobi Hospital, on whose board he sits.

The doctors’ association is calling for Obwaka’s immediate release, citing his advanced age, health challenges, and his constitutional right to bail.

“KMA is particularly alarmed by reports that anticipatory bail granted to Dr. Obwaka was ignored, and that an elderly doctor with known medical conditions has been denied the basic considerations of fairness and dignity,” said Dr. Simon Kigondu, the association’s president, adding: “This conduct amounts to blatant impunity.”

The doctors faulted the timing and manner of the arrest of the obstetrician and gynaecologist, who was detained on Saturday morning by individuals suspected to be officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

Obwaka was reportedly apprehended shortly after arriving at his NSSF Building office at around 9 am to attend to patients.

His phone was switched off immediately, and his family only learned of his detention at Muthaiga Police Station afterwards.

KMA accused the state of abusing power to harass, intimidate, and criminalise medical professionals managing health facilities over political and governance disputes, matters it argues should not involve the deployment of law enforcement officers.

According to the association, unnamed state operatives are seeking to take over, or at least influence, the leadership of the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA), which owns and operates the hospital.

“We therefore demand the immediate release of Dr. Job Obwaka and the strict observance of the rule of law, due process, and respect for court orders,” Kigondu said.

The association also urged its members to attend proceedings at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, March 15, when Obwaka is scheduled to appear in court, in a show of solidarity.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has also condemned the arrest. 

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the union’s Secretary General, Dr. Davji Atellah, dismissed as false allegations that Obwaka had falsified Kenya Hospital Association membership records.

The government is facing accusations of attempting to forcibly install new leadership at the facility, which has been mired in turmoil for several months.