SHOCK as snakes are found in theatre at Ruiru Level IV Hospital as a medical worker decries dangerous working conditions (PHOTOs)

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 - Medical staff in Kiambu County have sounded a distressing alarm over the appalling state of healthcare facilities, revealing a situation so dire that it has rendered many public hospitals unsafe for both workers and patients alike.

The mounting frustrations of healthcare professionals, many of whom are currently on strike, are rooted not only in unpaid salaries and chronic understaffing but in the physical degradation of hospitals that should serve as sanctuaries of healing and care.

Recent developments at Ruiru Level IV Hospital have brought these issues into sharp national focus.

In early May, medical personnel were forced to confront a dangerous and symbolic manifestation of their grievances when a snake was discovered inside one of the operating theatres.

According to staff who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, the incident was neither isolated nor entirely surprising.

With waist-high grass left uncut for months, stagnant water pooling around the premises, and no pest control measures in place, the hospital environment has become fertile ground for reptiles and other hazards.

Medical professionals describe an atmosphere of daily dread, in which attending to patients is constantly interrupted by having to fend off environmental threats that have no place in a clinical setting.

The presence of snakes within spaces designed for life-saving surgery reflects, in their words, the absolute collapse of operational standards and the glaring absence of institutional responsibility.

This situation, which continues to unfold under the watch of Governor Kimani Wamatangi and the broader Kiambu County administration, speaks to what doctors have called an entrenched culture of neglect.

Despite the allocation of public funds for healthcare infrastructure and the constitutional obligation to safeguard the right to health, the county leadership has failed to maintain even the most basic sanitary and safety conditions in its medical facilities.

"Hi Nyakundi. I am here on behalf of Kiambu County Doctors. Wanted to bring to your attention an issue that showcases why doctors are on strike in the county. Healthcare facilities are completely dilapidated. Below are pictures of snakes found in theatre just this May at the Ruiru Level IV Hospital. The grass is unkempt, water not drained, that now doctors and nurses are killing snakes in theatre instead of operating on patients. This is not even the first time. This is the kind of working conditions that make doctors go on strike. Things are bad, bad. Please help expose this kind of rot as it is only public pressure that these politicians respond to."

Via Cyprian Nyakundi