The Kenya Medical Association has responded after armed goons stormed the Kitengela Sub-County Hospital in Kajiado County assaulting nurses and patients.
This came after hundreds of rioters who were engaged in running battles with the police during Monday’s Saba Saba protests targeted the medical facility.
In videos circulating online, the mob can be seen storming the hospital’s emergency department, catching doctors and nurses completely off guard as they tended to patients.
Some armed with crude weapons, were seen forcing their way into the hospital compound, scattering terrified patients and staff in all directions.
“It was like they wanted to destroy everything that keeps this town alive,” whispered one nurse while recounting the ordeal from a hiding spot under a desk.
Also Read: Faces Behind the Saba Saba Protests Who Are Still Alive
Goons storm Kitengela Sub-Couty Hospital
Some staff managed to escape by hiding in storage rooms or slipping out through back exits. But others weren’t as lucky.
Preliminary reports indicate that several nurses and patients were brutally beaten during the attack. The goons also damaged medical equipment.
The Kenya Medical Association has since called for the immediate closure of Kitengela Sub-County Hospital following the assault of nurses and patients.
Also Read: Private Hospitals Offering Free Select Medical Services on Saba Saba
On its part, the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society condemned the invasion of the hospital by goons who reportedly disrupted surgical procedure.
The society has urged the state to ensure patients and medics safety.
A 21-year-old man in Kitengela town was shot dead during the protests while three others were rushed to the Kitengela Subcounty Hospital with serious gunshot injuries.
Moment later, Red Cross officials transferred them to the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi after angry locals stormed the health facility, threatening to torch it.
Saba Saba protests
Kenyans took to the streets on Monday to commemorate Saba Saba — a day that marks the historic 1990 protests against the late President Daniel Moi’s regime, during which demonstrators called for the reintroduction of multiparty politics.
The death toll from the protests has since risen to at least five after one person was shot and killed in Kiritiri, Embu County.
In Nairobi’s Kangemi area, doctors at Eagle Hospital said that two protesters succumbed to gunshot injuries at the facility.
In addition, one person was shot dead while another was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries as police tackled protesters in the Tumaini area of Ol-Kalou, Nyandarua County. A police officer was also seriously injured in the melee.
In Meru County, a building housing a supermarket belonging to the Magunas chain and a club was invaded by goons and set ablaze after protesters overpowered anti-riot police in the area.
Major roadblocks, stranded travelers, bonfires, arrests, teargas, and restricted access to the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD), were also highlights of the day.
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