Details have emerged that some victims of the January 15th terror attack at DusitD2 complex in Nairobi’s Westlands area are being detained in various hospitals over failure to settle medical bills.
This comes after the government reportedly reneged on its pledge to pay full hospital bills for those injured during the siege.
Speaking to Citizen TV, 21-year Emmanuel Omalla, who sustained bullet wounds during the attack says his family is struggling to raise money for his treatment.
Omalla survived despite being shot seven times on the stomach, back, foot.
He says was detained at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for 10 days after discharge.
His bill has accumulated to more than Sh100, 000 and is required to visit the hospital after every two weeks for the next two years for checkups.
“We knew the government will pay our bills as promised, but later on government officials started telling us (victims) it was not a national disaster.”
“They said for it to be called a national disaster, at least some 60 people should have died. Only 21 people died,” Omalla told Citizen TV on Sunday night.
A day after the attack, government officials led by Deputy President William Ruto toured different medical facilities to see victims and promised to settle all bills.
Omalla, a delivery worker, also says that Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki and her Education counterpart Amina Mohamed also visited them and gave assurance that the government would foot the medical bills in full, but the promise was never fulfilled.
KNH has agreed to discharge him after his family promised to pay Sh3, 000 every month until the bill is settled.
Nairobi Senator Johnstone Sakaja has since promised to clear Omalla’s bill.
Somalia-based Islamic terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack that left 21 people dead.
Totally expected from an…
Totally expected from an administration that treats Kenyans with such contempt. Te public hospitals are just physical structures as fast kickbacks can be had easily from construction. After construction kickbacks from supplu of air are the norm. Google Nyokabi Muthama and the 5B ministry of health scandal.
Kenyan tax payers should not be depending on charity from corrupt leaders to pay their hospital bills
Tusket kila saa badala ya kazi
Empty promises from the…
Empty promises from the crooked politicians! Ati 60 people ought to have died for the massacre to be categorized as a national disaster? ??
In cases involving…
In cases involving terrorists,Disaster should be any terror attact by aforeign instigator like alshabab ;in this case.We should not put a number on it.This is definitely a national security issue .Infact consider this 21 to be the first twenty one of the disaster… 21 may have died,but numerous lives were affected.
Putting anumber on the victims needing assiatance is very stressful and disheartening. Consider acase where #59 misses assistance by one number/death,and number 60 garners assistance by same difference of one.Yes iam fully aware that the government cannot pay for every tragedy as much as we would love that to be the case.But surely any victim of Alshabab should not stress over nedical bills.Especially when the same goverment spends 3million on 10 minute fireworks that are not even necessary,just because thats the way mzungu does it,and he know best…
What a country. The…
What a country. The government has no credibility when it comes to it’s citizens. These hospitals bills should have been paid for by the government given other major fleecing by the so called politicians. Shame on them.