Deputy Registrar of the Nakuru Law Courts, Priscah Nyota was temporarily barred from accessing Nakuru War Memorial Hospital where she had gone on official duty.
The Judicial officer had been deployed to the hospital to ascertain its status after lawyers representing the Nakuru County Government denied accusations of forcefully taking over the hospital and ejecting patients.
Drama ensued at the hospital’s main gate when tens of club-wielding officers engaged in push-and-pull games with court orderlies and armed police officers who had accompanied Nyota.
The Deputy Court Registrar had to stand outside the gate for half an hour as police and the council askaris engaged each other before managing to gain access into the multi-billion hospital which stands on a 25-acre piece of land.
Nyota was sent to the facility after lawyers for the hospital told the court that county agents destroyed property including CCTV cameras and other vital medical equipment during take over.
“I inspected the hospital and discovered that there were very few patients who were being either discharged or referred to other hospitals in the county,” she said.
Lawyer Lawrence Karanja claimed the release of War Memorial Hospital directors on bond led to the illegal takeover.
The county government is said to have taken over the management on Saturday, soon after the directors were arrested on Friday.
Drama is reported to have happened on Tuesday morning at about 3:00am when workers were kicked out and equipment destroyed.
Relatives were also ordered to transfer their patients to different hospitals and the gates closed on patients who were coming in to seek treatment.
“The hospital staff started noticing some movements from 8pm but the actual takeover was done at 3:00 am when the patients and health workers were ejected,” said Karanja.
Following the development and the new evidence, the Environment and Land Court (ELC) in Nakuru ordered the Nakuru County Government out of the multi-billion Nakuru War Memorial Hospital
Justice Millicent Odeny ordered the County Police Commander, Moses Ndanyi to escort and supervise the management and hospital staff during the facility’s repossession.
The matter will be mentioned on January 25.
