Rude welcome for baby in hospital attacked by goons

Members of the Health Union Caucus that comprises of Health Sector Union address journalists at the Kitengela Sub County Hospital where they condemned the attack of the facility by goons during the Saba Saba commemoration on Monday. [Peterson Githaiga/Standard] At 1.30 pm, a pregnant woman due for delivery was wheeled to the theatre at Kitengela Sub-County Hospital. The patient had been booked in as an emergency. As the surgeon placed her on the operating table, ready to deliver her, hundreds of armed goons stormed the hospital. The doctor was terrified - a baby to be delivered, a mother's life to be saved and her own personal safety. "I was frightened. I could not move," the doctor narrated her encounter to The Standard on Tuesday. "I was scared. I had no option but to save a life. I could not leave the theatre. I fought my fears and continued to operate on the patient. Leaving her meant her bleeding to death, and the baby could not survive," she recalls. Swiftly, she tightly closed the theatre doors and continued to operate on the patient. The nurse who was in the theatre lost concentration, traumatised by the act of the goons breaking into the theatre. "The nurse was totally disoriented. I was literally running to pick theatre tools by myself. I tried instructing him to bring me tools, but he was not responding. As this happened, tension was rising," she recalls. At some point, the nurse says she picked the baby, but would immediately leave the theatre to attend to a goon who had severely injured his arm while vandalising the facility. It was an unfortunate encounter for the doctor. She said, though she has worked in hostile countries, where banditry and insecurity are the order of the day, the encounter was the most traumatising. "I have never had such an encounter. I have worked in places where hooligans have attacked people, but they usually listen and let us continue to save lives. These were so rowdy, they were breaking doors, beating up people. Patients were scared for their lives. Health workers were forced to pick patients at the hospital into dressing rooms and locked doors," said the doctor. The rowdy goons in hundreds further broke into several wards, stole oxygen, and began dictating to doctors and other health workers how to inject patients. Sources at the hospital described the situation as terrifying, with the entire facility thrown into fear and confusion. Tear gas was lobbed all over the facility, with fumes endangering the health of those at the facility. The hospital medical superintendent, Dr Veronicah Abuto, said that though operations are back to normalcy, property at the facility was vandalised. During the commotion, one of the goons sustained a deep cut after being hit by a glass. He was taken to the theatre to save his life as he was bleeding profusely. He was transfused and later referred for specialised care. "The hospital was chaotic. Casualty wasn't operating because goons were in hundreds," Abuto said. The goons stormed the facility after one of them was shot dead by police. "The rowdy demonstrators were angry; they were shouting," she added. Elsewhere, police are reported to have turned away pregnant women in labour at Thia Sub-county hospital. The incidences of attacks on hospitals, healthcare providers, and the blocking of ambulances have been strongly condemned by human rights defenders and health workers' unions. The Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) has criticised the state for failing to protect healthcare workers and patients during Saba Saba and Gen Z demonstrations. Allan Maleche, Executive Director of KELIN, condemned the incidents as a gross violation of human rights and human dignity, saying the actions of both demonstrators and police officers have crossed a dangerous line. "It is absurd and inhumane to block an ambulance, regardless of the situation," said Maleche. "Ambulances are not political actors. They carry the sick and injured. Denying them passage is a fundamental violation of the right to life and health."Maleche described the blocking of emergency vehicles and targeting of healthcare spaces as a "malicious and indecent breach of ethics, law, and basic manners." He recalled a chilling incident last year during the initial Gen Z protests when police fired tear gas near makeshift clinics, where medics were resuscitating protesters. "There must be parameters - red lines that should never be crossed. Hospitals and healthcare workers should never be attacked, even during unrest. These are places of healing, not battlegrounds," he said. Maleche said that a hospital is not just a physical building but "any space where care is being given - even a church, tent, or roadside medical camp. All these must be respected." He called on the government to swiftly investigate and identify those responsible for storming health facilities and obstructing emergency services, including rogue police officers who manned blocked roads. "We need accountability. The state must redeem itself. If demonstrators or police committed these violations, they must be held to account. We cannot afford to let this trend continue unchecked." Maleche warned that failing to act now would only embolden further lawlessness and endanger the lives of both healthcare workers and the public. "This isn't just about protests - it's about preserving human dignity and life. If we normalise violence against hospitals and medics, we are losing the soul of our nation," he said. "The happenings at Kitengela Hospital on Tuesday are unfortunate. We hope that will never happen again. Access to health services should not be compromised or healthcare workers made to feel vulnerable," said Faith Ndungu, advocacy manager at Hennet. Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) warned that unless order is restored, healthcare workers will be forced to withdraw services during future protests. "If this continues, we will issue a decree: No healthcare worker will report to work during demonstrations. From cleaners to consultants - we'll stay away unless we're guaranteed armed protection," said KMPDU Deputy Secretary Dr Dennis Miskellah. The official said that due to the fear for the safety of patients, hospitals are forced to suspend all elective and non-emergency surgeries due to strained resources. "When demonstrations erupt, doctors flee for safety. Clinics shut down. Ambulances are blocked. What happens to emergency cases that can't reach care? What happens when healthcare workers themselves are injured by mobs or caught in tear gas?" he posed. In one chilling account, Miskellah said an owner of an ambulance in Eldoret refused to have it refer a patient to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). The patient died. In Nairobi, doctors attempting to access facilities were turned away at Valley Road. Ambulances were blocked from delivering life-saving medication and transferring critically ill patients. In another incident, he said ambulances at Embu Hospital were vandalised, while on June 25, 2025 were injured by tear gas fired by police. Dr Miskellah emphasised, "Even in war, healthcare workers are spared. It was agreed during World War II - medics would remain neutral. But here, we are targeted. We're beaten and tear-gassed." "An ambulance is not just a vehicle. It's a mobile hospital - staffed with emergency technicians, nurses, oxygen tanks, monitors, and critical drugs. When it's attacked or blocked, someone's life is literally on the line," Dr Miskellah said. Miskellah's sentiments were echoed by KUCO Secretary General George Gibore, who said events of this week - including blocked ambulances, interrupted services, and threats against medics - amount to a national crisis that cannot be tolerated. "This is no longer a peaceful demonstration," said Gibore. "We are seeing targeted attacks on health facilities and staff. It is now a matter of life and death, not politics. We must call this out for what it is - criminal behaviour and a breach of international law."

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