The Senate Health Committee and that of National Security will today visit the Pumwani Maternity Hospital on a fact-finding mission following the finding of infant bodies at the facility.
They will be seeking to unearth the circumstances that led to the death and establish the conditions that mothers are subjected to as they give birth.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki will appear on Thursday before the Health Committee to shed light on the status of the country’s referral public hospital.
The Committee’s Chairman Michael Mbito described the findings as disturbing, while giving assurances that they will get to the bottom of the matter.
Kariuki is also supposed to table a comprehensive report on the Equipment Management scheme amid reports that the institution does not have essential basic facilities like the morgue.
The visit will come even after Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko suspended County Secretary Peter Kariuki and Health Executive Veska Kangongo over insubordination in the saga.
The Governor also suspended Health Chief Officer Mahat Jimale and County Attorney Lydia Kwamboka over the incident.
In their place, he appointed Pauline Kahiga to act as the County Secretary, Charles Kerich to act as the health executive, Mohamed Saleh to act as Chief Officer of Health Services and David Aseko who’s the current legal affairs director to act as the County attorney.
The officials contradicted Sonko on the cause of infant deaths and defended the management against negligence claims saying that the circumstances under which the deaths occurred cannot be blamed on anyone.
[Video] Senate visits Pumwani #DayBreak: The Senate Health Committee visits Pumwani Hospital over the case of 11 bodies of infants that were found wrapped in plastic bags. Citizen TV is Kenya’s lead… https://t.co/tnd2eZQU6C
— Breaking News (@News_Kenya) September 19, 2018