Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei has taken a swipe at the County Governor Hillary Barchok for his deafening silence amidst the traumatic death of a 3-year-old girl at Longisa County Referral Hospital.
Addressing the press on Monday evening, the Senator along with other Bomet leaders, accused Governor Barchok of failing to take action on the senior hospital officials for their alleged negligence that led to the death of the minor.
While expressing his frustration over the incident, Sigei stated that such an occurrence exposed the incompetence and failed leadership of both the Longisa County Hospital and, by extension, Governor Barchok's administration.
“This is a confirmation of their failed leadership and inability to do the right this, that is to give the appropriate leadership. Rember here we are not even talking about the drugs which are not available in this hospital,” commented Sigei.
“One of the worrying things is the silence on the part of the governor, to comment on this thing, we have seen the CEC health trying to defend, this is not the time to defend, it is time to take the responsibility.”
In a press briefing at his office, the Senator demanded the immediate resignation of all senior officials attached to the Longisa Hospital officials. According to Sigei, a call for resignation was the only way to solve the crisis that has for long crippled service delivery at the hospital.
Senator Sigei further revealed that it was not the first time the hospital had been placed under scrutiny for such occurrences, adding that despite previous complaints and calls for a change in the hospital management, the county government had yet to address any of the issues.
“As a senator who is involved in oversight, we have made prompt visits to those facilities. This is not politics anymore, this is the lives of many people living in Bomet County,” Sigei stated.
Meanwhile, the three-year-old girl was among four people who were reportedly attacked by a swarm of bees at Koitabai village in Bomet County on Saturday, November 9.
Following the incident, the minor was rushed to the Longisa hospital after sustaining serious bites. She was later admitted but never received medical attention for about five hours and subsequently died while in the hospital bed.
An amateur video that has since gone viral on the internet depicted the girl writhing in pain, lying in the casualty section while the medical officers were recorded gathered around a computer and having a conversation.
The incident quickly caught the attention of many Kenyans who vented their disappointment as they demanded answers and action against all the health officials who were involved in the alleged negligence of duty that led to the death of the young girl.