Panic, chaos as county workers take over Nakuru War Memorial Hospital

It was another terrifying night for patients and staff at Nakuru War Memorial Hospital as the county government launched a second bid to take over the running of the hospital.

Violence and chaos

Tales of violence and chaos marred the process, which took place in the dead of night under the supervision of police and senior county officials.

What began as a tense Monday evening for the workers turned into a full-blown invasion that took the workers by surprise at 2am on Tuesday.

The workers were forced to hide in fear of being attacked by people who broke into the hospital building and destroyed property.

Broke doors

A staff member who spoke to the Nation said that some county askaris entered the building through the windows, while others broke the doors of various departments.

“We have been invaded, the askaris have broken the window panes and gained access into the building and are terrorising people,” the worker said.

The worker locked herself in an office and hid until morning as the officers harassed those who were taking photographs.

“They smashed mobile phones and CCTV cameras and beat those who were using their mobile phones,” the worker said.

Patients caught in the melee were shocked to be transferred to the neighbouring Nakuru Provincial General Hospital Annex wing.

Julie Anyumba, whose sister was nursing a premature baby in the nursery, said the events had thrown the whole family into a panic.

She said her sister was the only one in the nursery at the time of the chaos, and she feared for her baby's life.

“It was inhuman for the county to rush the takeover process without giving the public enough time to transfer their patients. My sister was stranded with her child after the nurses went into hiding during the commotion. It was not until 8 in the morning that we managed to transfer them to another hospital,” said Anyumba.

The staff claimed that the senior county officials supervising the takeover had accused them of neglecting patients.

By 6am, the takeover was complete and the night shift staff were allowed to go home.

The county's action came hours after the hospital's directors, who had been charged with 12 counts of fraudulently obtaining the lease extension, were released on bail.

Following their arrest on Friday, the county government had moved to secure the hospital by deploying county askaris and police to man the facility.

Protect the lives of patients 

County secretary Samuel Mwaura argued that the county needed to protect the lives of patients to ensure that they were not neglected in the absence of the hospital management.

The move by the county to take over the running of the hospital also comes ahead of the hearing of a civil case in which the hospital has sued the county for interfering with its operations.