A Kenyan court has extended the suspension of a jail sentence it granted doctors’ union officials on condition that they end their job boycott in five days.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court Judge Hellen Wasilwa on Thursday also ordered the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KPMDU) to continue talks with the government.

The development came as the strike entered its 53rd day, with patients from poor backgrounds bearing the brunt of the crisis.

The doctors are demanding full implementation of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) they signed with the government in 2013.

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KMPDU officials had appeared before Judge Wasilwa to give an update of the ongoing negotiations on increased pay with the Health ministry.

The seven officials also wanted to know their fate after the judge threatened to have them arrested and locked up for violating orders of the court.

But the union has filed an application seeking to extend the negotiations period, arguing that it is looking forward to an amicable settlement.

In the petition, the officials have attached minutes of several meetings they have held with the ministry as proof of the talks in the past two weeks.

Justice Wasilwa on January 12 granted the officials a suspended sentence after finding them guilty of calling the strike in breach of court orders.

The judge suspended their sentence for two weeks to allow them participate in talks aimed at solving the stalemate.