NAKURU, KENYA — Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has returned to Kenya, accompanied by her newborn twins, following an extended period of absence from the country.
Governor Kihika had traveled to the United States (US) late last year for childbirth. Her return coincides with a deepening crisis within Nakuru County’s health sector, characterized by severe shortages of doctors and nurses and inadequately equipped medical facilities.
Adding to the urgency of the situation is the ongoing investigation into the death of Elizabeth Wairimu, a woman who died shortly after childbirth at the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Maternity Unit within Nakuru Level V Hospital.
Wairimu’s family has alleged negligence on the part of the hospital in her medical care.
Government pathologist Dr. Titus Ngulungu, alongside the family’s pathologist Dr. Isak Abdi, conducted a post-mortem examination on Wairimu’s body.
The autopsy results indicated the cause of death as respiratory distress due to a lack of oxygen. However, Dr. Ngulungu described the report as inconclusive.
Wairimu’s father and stepfather, who were present during the autopsy, declined to comment on the findings.
Governor Kihika’s administration has faced mounting criticism from residents and healthcare professionals regarding the alleged mismanagement of the health sector, particularly at Nakuru Level V Hospital.
Dire situation unveiled
Recent accounts from patients seeking medical attention at the facility paint a grim picture of deteriorating conditions and inadequate care.
Wairimu’s case has amplified concerns about the hospital’s substandard services, prompting Roselyn Mungai, the County Executive Committee Member for Health, to acknowledge the alarming state of the institution.
Mungai stated, “The maternity wing is severely overwhelmed. Considering the number of deliveries happening here compared to the number of nurses we have, it is severely suboptimal.”
Dr. Stephen Omondi, the South Rift Branch Secretary of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KPMDU), highlighted the severe overwork faced by the 26 intern doctors at the Level 5 facility. “The interns do not even get a day off; they work from Monday to Monday.
They only get two to three nights off, but sometimes they work for 48 hours without rest,” Dr. Omondi explained. He further noted that for effective operation, each ward should have at least six medical officers, while the Level V hospital has only two per ward, leaving one to manage all patients when the other is on leave.
Dr. Omondi revealed a shortage of at least 23 medical officers at the hospital. The paediatric ward, ideally requiring 12 medical officers, currently has only six at the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Maternity Unit.
Overall, Dr. Omondi estimated a need for at least 300 additional nurses, concurring that the acute staff shortage significantly contributes to rising patient complaints of negligence.
An investigation by this publiation has revealed that the hospital has six ICU beds, but only four are equipped with ventilators.
Furthermore, there is no dedicated ICU for children, and all six High Dependence Units (HDUs) have been non-functional since 2018 due to a lack of nurses.
Patients are frequently found sleeping outside in the cold, including elderly women with inadequate clothing, as they await medical attention in a facility operating beyond its capacity.
Distressed patients have resorted to social media, sharing videos and photos to highlight their plight and seek intervention from authorities.
The challenges faced by residents under Governor Kihika’s leadership have been described as a failure of her responsibility to protect and care for the electorate.
Two weeks prior, a widely circulated video showed security guards evicting patients from the casualty wing, forcing them to spend the night outdoors due to severe overcrowding, starkly illustrating the county’s healthcare crisis.
Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja Keroche, a vocal critic of the governor, has petitioned the Senate for a comprehensive audit of the hospital following a surge in maternal and infant deaths. Earlier this year, the hospital gained negative attention when the body of a minor went missing under unclear circumstances.
In a statement, Senator Karanja condemned the county government, labeling the deaths as avoidable tragedies resulting from management negligence and the leadership vacuum created by the Governor’s absence.
She stated, “It is painful that the late Wairimu sought medical care for the same reason that the Governor sought treatment in the U.S. One mother returned with healthy babies, while another never came home, and we cannot afford to continue like this.”
However, the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr. James Waweru, has admitted that the facility is underequipped. The maternity wing, with a bed capacity of 250, is frequently at full capacity, often requiring mothers to share beds.
Critically, it lacks dedicated ICU beds, forcing emergency maternity cases to be referred to ICU beds in general wards, approximately 300 meters away.
