Claims of rape on new mothers at Kenyatta National Hospital
Corridors of hope for patients in Kenyatta National Hospital have turned into corridors of horror and trauma for new mothers after rape allegations surfaced.
Rape victims have come out in numbers after years of silent suffering to expose morgue attendants who, for years, have allegedly been raping new mothers who are still nursing their after birth experiences.
The atrocities are said to take place in the wee hours of the night when morgue attendants go to collect bodies, usually between the hours of midnight and 3AM.
At that time, some of the victims say, not even a scream can save you because to security guards, a facility filled with hurting patients, screams are inevitable and they cannot respond to every cry.
Speaking to Citizen TV, a victim recounts a haunting ordeal that she went through three years ago where she was nearly raped while on her way to the Newborn Unit to breastfeed. In her disheartening tale, she vividly remembers two morgue attendants sexually harassing her at the elevator and using a dead body to scare.
To her dismay, when she reported to the night nurse she was told “Here people walk in groups, a minimum of four to be safe.”
She goes on to say that raping in the facility is a norm and the nurses are aware of the vice.
“When you report, they advise patients to walk in packs, there is even a WhatsApp group where victims of rape speak of their experiences,” she said.
Health CS Cleopa Mailu has responded to the accusations of new mothers being raped by morgue attendants at the hospital while on their way to and from the Newborn Unit.
Through a post on the official Ministry of Health Twitter handle, the CS expressed his regrets and ordered the KNH management to beef up security to protect patients and their relatives promising to issue a report on Monday.
The hospital, which denied the rape claims called on Directorate of Criminal Investigations to probe the matter.
The issue has taken social media by storm and most Kenyans are hurting over the saddening revelation.
Reactions:
This is totally unacceptable….we as Kenyans need to get angry, if we can march for politics then we can storm this place and demand action …then again I just realised I'm speaking to the comfortable middle class, have a nice day 😏
— Jaymz Kiama 🇰🇪 (@jaymzkiama) January 19, 2018
My heart bleeds for all of those who went through it.
— Miss Riri (@MissDaisyriri) January 19, 2018
Omg imagine thinking about raping a new mum 😭😭😭💔💔 devilish.
— Mo (@Mothoni_) January 19, 2018
This is disturbing…If you can't be safe in the hospital where else will you be smh
— The CEO_Jim (@jimirack) January 19, 2018
So true….I have been online since it was posted and to tell you the truth, I want to cry, Shithole is an understatement…and to think the hospital is denying it, saying such is not happening is even worse, how dare they seriously… pic.twitter.com/KUC7C3qhIe
— Syombua A. Kibue (@Syombuak) January 19, 2018
I read the excerpts and i felt like crying. Where is anyone safe in Kenya? What kind of a country are we. Have we just lost it all? We cant even take care of the women who carry the next generation. We are just animals , like Kenya is just a jungle of some sort
— Agava Isabwa (@Agavament) January 19, 2018
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