War Memorial Wars intensify, Court Orders County not to Interfere

Nakuru

Wednesday November 1, 2023

KNA by Anne Sabuni

Residents of Nakuru City have matched to War Memorial Hospital supporting the County Government’s decision to take over operations at the facility.

The city residents, who decried congestion at Nakuru Referral and Teaching Hospital, urged the county government to forcefully revert the property to the public, to help ease congestion at public facilities.

“These administrators are protecting foreign investors who are minting millions on public land in the name of a lease. Today it is war memorial; tomorrow, they will grab Nakuru PGH Annex and the neighbouring Lenana Primary before they claim that even State House is their property. We are tired!” cried James Kamunya, a resident.

The event took place even as the administrators of War Memorial cried foul over the evictions, with a court order obtained on Tuesday demanding that non-interference remained unenforced by the county.

“We have been serving the court order, restraining the County from carrying out any unauthorized services, to the CS and Police and they are resisting it, “decried one of the War Memorial Directors, Dr. Simon Mwangi.

Dr. Mwangi regretted that more than 50 patients who regularly visited the hospital for Dialysis were now at risk, with one already having lost the battle, as the city lacked well equipped hospitals. The hospital has 10 dialysis machines that he said were fully booked.

Environment and Land Court Judge Millicent Ondeny on Tuesday Morning ordered the County not to interfere in any way in the running of the facility until the case filed before the court is heard and determined.

The judge also barred the Land Registrar and the County administrators from conducting investigations and dealing with, including revoking or reviewing the certificate of lease to the land.

County Secretary Dr. Samuel Mwaura refuted the claims that patients had died as a result of the ouster, noting that the County had taken better care of the patients and can account for everyone who had been admitted at the facility on Friday evening.

“We are beginning the process of investigating and prosecuting of the criminals involved in forging the leases to take over government land. Foreigners are being protected here yet this town has no land for us to expand health facilities,” noted Mwaura.

Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama, while supporting the takeover, noted that government property should be protected at all cost, calling on Nakuru MPs to rally behind the move by the county government.

“Once these people have gone, let us build a Private wing for the PGH and have it revived to continue serving the public just like the Kenyatta National Hospital Private Wing,” noted Arama.

The County Government on Friday evening moved to repossess the 25 acre Nakuru Municipality block 11/107 that the war memorial hospital seats on, claiming that the hospital administration had fraudulently renewed its lease that expired in 2021.

Nakuru Land Registrar Elijah M. Nyamu had in on May 19, 2023 gazetted the revocation of the said parcel of land, reverting the same to the county government of Nakuru.

Courtesy; KNA