Senators alarmed by plight of detained mothers at Kiambu hospital

A Senate team visiting Kiambu County Referral Hospital was yesterday met with scenes that spoke louder than statistics--mothers stranded for months in the maternity ward, not because of illness, but unpaid medical bills.

The Senate Committee on Health, chaired by Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, said it was disturbing that some new mothers had been confined at the facility for more than three(3) months, unable to go home with their babies.

After tense deliberations with county officials, the Committee welcomed an undertaking by Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s administration to clear all pending bills under the Wamatangi Care programme.

The senators lauded the move, saying the affected mothers, categorised as indigents, should finally walk free within 48 hours.

“We appreciate the county government for stepping in to restore dignity to these women,” said Senator Mandago, noting that no mother should suffer detention for lack of money.

But the lawmakers’ concern didn’t end there. The Committee sounded the alarm over what it termed an alarming surge in teenage pregnancies, citing data from the hospital showing worrying trends among adolescents.

It urged both the county leadership and Members of the County Assembly to launch community sensitization campaigns to curb the crisis.

The senators also found that a majority of women in the maternity ward were not registered under the new Social Health Authority (SHA), a gap they said exposes families to crushing hospital bills.

They encouraged residents to sign up, saying SHA coverage would cushion them from financial distress while expanding access to health care.

On infrastructure, the team found the hospital’s incinerator out of service, posing risks in medical waste disposal. The County Assembly Health Committee pledged to push for funding of a new unit in the upcoming supplementary budget.

The Committee further observed gaps in the mortuary section, including inadequate equipment and understaffed operations.

It recommended that the county government prioritise new equipment, confirm staff on permanent terms and consider promotions for long-serving workers.

The senators later toured Ruaka Level 3 and Karuri health facilities, where they inspected ongoing improvement works.

Before wrapping up their mission, the Committee directed the County Assembly Health Committee to follow up with the County Executive and ensure the Senate’s forthcoming report reflects tangible progress when tabled in the House.