Former Nairobi Governor Sonko pays hospital bills for over 100 mothers detained at Mama Lucy

According to media reports, the women some with newborns just days old had been stranded at the facility for weeks, unable to leave after giving birth because they could not afford to settle their bills.

At around 3 a.m. on Sunday night, Sonko arrived at the hospital where  he found women lying two to a bed.

“I saw the story on TV about mothers being detained for unpaid bills, Later, a doctor called me his name is Mbole and asked if I could intervene. I gave it two days to see if the situation would be resolved, but when I checked again, nothing had changed. So, I came personally to help.”  Sonko recounted. 

He asked each woman to list her pending bill, which ranged from KSh 5,000 to over KSh 100,000, before proceeding to deposit KSh 1.6 million directly into the hospital’s Equity Bank account.

“Many of these women didn’t have National Health Insurance (SHA) cards, Unfortunately, you can’t get covered retroactively you have to be registered before delivery. I wanted to help them because no mother should suffer or be detained after bringing life into the world,”  he explained.

Sonko faulted the hospital and the Nairobi County Government, saying they should have helped the mothers register for SHA coverage earlier, making it the government’s obligation to pay. He also warned that keeping women crowded in the wards could lead to more health complications.

“It’s true there are no free services in hospitals, but we all understand the tough economic times we’re in. If you’re touched by compassion, you’ll always find a way to help. The County should have established a desk to make SHA registration mandatory before admission — unless one pays cash. That would have prevented cases like this,” he said.

For days, women’s rights groups and community activists had been holding demonstrations outside Mama Lucy Hospital, demanding the County Government’s intervention and the release of the detained mothers.

“The situation had become unbearable,” said one of the activists. “Some mothers were even sharing beds with their babies. We had been pleading for help and finally, Sonko answered that call.”

Sonko says he is arranging transport and shopping for the mothers, providing four minibuses to ferry them home before noon today on Monday. Many of the women, holding their babies close, could not hide their joy and gratitude for the news he broke in their wards.