The state of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has drawn sharp criticism over worsening infrastructural and security problems, prompting calls for urgent intervention.
During a Senate session on Thursday, September 25, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah pressed the Standing Committee on Energy to push the Ministry of Health to act swiftly to address the hospital’s challenges.
Omtatah said the committee should provide a detailed report explaining why critical diagnostic and treatment services, including CT scans, dialysis, and radiotherapy, remain unavailable or malfunctioning.
He also called for a clear outline of strategies for maintaining and investing in hospital equipment, along with mechanisms to ensure leadership accountability.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Omtatah noted that patients are increasingly being referred to private facilities for essential services, undermining KNH’s role as the country’s main referral hospital.
“Kenyatta National Hospital is expected to uphold the highest standards of healthcare, yet its current state is characterised by unhygienic conditions, overcrowded and poorly ventilated wards, long queues at essential service points, inadequate facilities for persons with disabilities, and lax security that has led to two murders within the wards in the last six months,” he said.
The senator urged the committee to hold hospital leadership and law enforcement accountable while enhancing the Ministry of Health’s collaboration with the Social Health Authority. The aim is to ensure seamless service delivery at KNH and other national referral hospitals.
This comes two months after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced major reforms at KNH following the murders in the hospital.
On a July 28 visit, Duale outlined measures including the installation of CCTV cameras, limited patient visits, mandatory visitor screening, and routine safety checks. Hospitals were also instructed to restrict visitors to two per patient, implement anonymous feedback tools, and train staff on patient rights and safety.
Additionally, Duale emphasized the importance of collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, local chiefs, and community leaders to support abandoned patients. Hospitals are now responsible for tracing the families of these patients, facilitating dignified discharges, and ensuring placement in appropriate care institutions if reintegration is not possible.