Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has responded to viral images showing individuals sleeping on benches outside Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital after claims emerged online that they were patients unable to access beds.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a social media post on Wednesday, July 29, Kihika said the people captured in the images were not patients but relatives who had accompanied patients admitted at the facility.

She explained that some relatives from distant areas remain at the hospital overnight after late admissions because they cannot travel back home until morning.

“These are not patients. They are relatives who bring patients late in the night. Once the patients are attended to and admitted, those from far wait for morning to be able to commute back home,” she wrote.

📌 What You Need to Know

The governor noted that a similar incident sparked public debate last year after a video showed hospital security attempting to remove relatives who had spent the night at the facility.

“Last year, a video was trending where a guard was trying to ask such relatives to leave; it drew massive criticism on these streets, you were all up in arms, raising a storm; we let them be,” the governor added.

Kihika’s remarks came after people online questioned the state of healthcare services at the county referral facility based on the images, alleging congestion and inadequate bed space.

The images have sparked renewed concerns from residents over the condition of patients seeking medical services in the county.

Nakuru has previously faced reports of healthcare challenges, with concerns raised over staffing levels and increasing pressure on health facilities.

Months ago, healthcare in the county came under scrutiny following reports of a doctor shortage at the referral hospital, with claims that a single doctor was attending to hundreds of patients each day.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke