Thika MP Storms Ruiru Hospital to Free 6 Months Detained New Mothers
Thika Town MP Alice Nganga stormed into Ruiru Level 4 Hospital today to clear bills and release 24 detained new mothers who had languished in the maternity wing for months, even as President William Ruto insists the Social Health Authority now handles such cases smoothly.
She marched through the corridors with cash in hand and fire in her voice. Nurses scattered. Officials scrambled. Mothers who had given birth weeks or months earlier finally saw a path home. The scene unfolded this Thursday morning in Ruiru, Kiambu County, and it quickly spread across social media.
Nganga confronted staff directly in the maternity wing. She demanded immediate action for women stuck there since January 2026. Some had remained hospitalised up to six months simply because they could not pay.
“I respect the hospital. And I am a mother,” she declared during the heated exchange. “What I am saying. I want to be given an opportunity to pay for these twenty-four mothers who have stayed here for three months. This is the amount of money here. Three hundred and seventy-six thousand nine hundred and seventy. Let’s go. I want to go and pay for them. They go home.”
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Hospital administrators pushed back. They claimed Kiambu County had already waived or was processing the debts. Tension rose as Nganga pressed for same-day releases. By afternoon, reports confirmed the mothers celebrated their freedom and headed home to reunite with families.
The confrontation laid bare deeper frustrations with Kenya’s health system. President Ruto rolled out the Social Health Authority to deliver universal coverage and end such detentions. Yet cases like these persist in public facilities across Kiambu and beyond.
Reimbursement delays leave vulnerable patients stranded even after delivery. Nganga arrived ready to cover nearly 377,000 shillings herself. She carried documents listing bills from January through June 2026.
One mother had stayed two and a half months. Others matched her ordeal. Nganga learned of the situation from a late-night call. She acted fast. “Look at these gentlemen. Do me a favour,” she told officials on site. “Are these ladies going to go home today? Yes. They are going. These mothers are celebrating just to go home in three months.”
Nganga chairs a parliamentary social protection committee. She has pushed bills to support breastfeeding mothers and expand facilities. Critics called her move grandstanding ahead of future polls. Supporters praised her hands-on approach where government promises fell short.
The Ruiru incident echoes similar stories nationwide. Public hospitals sometimes hold patients until families settle debts. This practice hits poor families hardest, particularly young mothers without savings or insurance. SHA aims to fix that through registrations and direct payments to providers. Implementation gaps remain visible on the ground.
Nganga did not stop at payment offers. She questioned why such detentions continued despite official assurances. Hospital staff urged protocol. They told her to coordinate through county channels. She stood firm at the cashier area with her team. Microphones captured every sharp exchange for broadcast later that day.