Medics Threaten Nationwide Withdrawal After Kitengela Hospital Attack
Healthcare services across Kenya may be crippled after clinical officers and medical laboratory staff under the Health Union Caucus threatened to withdraw their services, citing increasing attacks on medical facilities during the Saba Saba protests.
The threat follows a violent incident at Kitengela Sub-County Hospital on Monday, where an unruly mob stormed the facility, harassed medical staff, and vandalized critical infrastructure. Blood-stained floors, broken windows, scattered gloves, and overturned medical supplies marked the aftermath of the attack, turning the hospital into a shocking scene of chaos.
Ironically, one of the attackers who broke a hospital window with his bare hands ended up receiving first aid and a blood transfusion from the very medics his group had assaulted. “My members, who are laboratory officers, were crossmatching blood for him because he had bled so much and needed a transfusion. While they were doing that, the goons attacked the lab first,” said KMLO Chair Nicholas Odipo.
KUCO Chair Peterson Wachira condemned the incident, saying, “It is detestable and very unfortunate that any Kenyan would want to harm the very people they will run to when their lives are in danger.”
According to eyewitness reports, the mob had accompanied a victim of the protests and forcibly entered the hospital, escalating tensions. They assaulted both patients and health workers, putting vulnerable individuals, including children and expectant mothers, at serious risk.
“The healthcare workers took cover. Some had to masquerade as patients, putting on patients’ gowns just so they wouldn’t be identified as staff,” narrated Tatio Saningo, a clinician.
The Health Union Caucus is now calling for immediate 24/7 armed protection at all health facilities countrywide. They criticized the government’s lack of preparedness in safeguarding essential services during demonstrations.
“We will be withdrawing our health workers from those facilities until their safety is guaranteed,” Wachira warned.
KUCO Secretary General George Gibore added that healthcare professionals must remain neutral and accessible to all. “The government must take action to provide security in all health facilities. We are not pro-anyone. We offer services to everyone — including the police. We don’t choose who to treat.”
The union also raised concerns over police barricades that obstructed access to hospitals during the protests, potentially denying critical care to those in need.
With tensions rising and medics feeling increasingly unsafe, Kenya’s healthcare sector now stands at a dangerous tipping point unless immediate interventions are made.
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Medics Threaten Nationwide Withdrawal After Kitengela Hospital Attack