The Nakuru County Government has dismissed reports that infants are being detained at the Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (NCRTH) over unpaid medical bills.
In a statement released on Saturday, September 6, County Executive Committee Member for Health, Roselyn Mungai, claimed that a report published by the Standard newspaper was misleading.
“Our attention has been drawn to misleading information published by the Standard newspaper claiming that infants have been detained at the Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (NCRTH) due to unpaid medical bills. We wish to correct the misleading information published by the Standard newspaper and clarify that this allegation is entirely false,” the statement read.
Mungai explained that the hospital recently held a paediatric surgery camp to deal with a backlog of children, mostly under five years old, who needed specialised operations.
“To address this issue, the hospital, in collaboration with the State Department of Health, brought in pediatric surgeons from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Tenwek Hospital, and Kajiado County Referral Hospital. Together, they conducted a pediatric surgery camp from September 1 to September 5, 2025,” she said.
According to the county, 112 children successfully underwent surgery, and out of these, 81 children were already discharged: 18 on Thursday, 44 on Friday, and 19 on Saturday.
The remaining 31 children were still under medical observation and were scheduled for discharge between Sunday and Monday.
The statement stressed that no infant has been detained at the facility, adding that the Social Health Authority clears all medical bills for the camp.
“Per Ministry of Health guidelines, every patient undergoing major surgery must remain under post-operative care and observation for at least 72 hours to ensure a safe recovery. No child has been detained at NCRTH. The Social Health Authority (SHA) fully covered all medical bills for the camp. No patient has stayed beyond the recommended 72-hour post-surgery period,” the county clarified.
Mungai added that while some parents may have felt their children were well enough to go home earlier, strict medical rules had to be followed for safety reasons.
The county urged members of the public to ignore the misleading report and instead recognise the efforts made by medical teams during the camp.
“We urge the public to disregard this misleading report. Instead, let us acknowledge the tremendous effort made by the surgical teams and partners who worked tirelessly to restore these children’s health and dignity,” the statement said.
Nakuru County further assured residents that the hospital remains committed to offering quality and compassionate care to patients.
This came after the Standard Newspaper published a story with the headline, “Why Nakuru Hospital is Detaining 132 Infants.”
