Nairobi,KENYA: Health Cabinet secretary has ordered investigations into allegations of lactating mothers being raped at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Through a tweet by the Ministry of Health, the CS said that he had instructed the management to beef up security at the national hospital.
“The CS has further ordered investigations into the matter; the KNH management and security agents will provide a report on the issue by Monday 22nd January 2018,” the ministry wrote.
Stories of women alleging to have been raped at the hospital were trending on social media for the better part of Thursday evening.
According to a social media post on the infamous Facebook watchdog group, Buyer beware Kenya, lactating mothers who had just given birth through Cesarean section were being forced to walk in groups so as to prevent themselves from encountering an incident of being raped when going to breastfeed their babies.
However, in a statement, the communications department at the hospital has distanced itself from the allegations, saying no incident had been reported at the hospital police station as the hospital was well equipped with CCTV cameras.
The allegations have been condemned by female legislators including Homabay Women Representative Glady’s Wanga and Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga.
“Rape allegations against nursing mothers at KNH are deeply disturbing! There is absolutely no logic in breastfeeding mothers moving from 3rd Flr to Ground Flr to nurse their babies. How can the nursery be so far from the maternity? All mothers who’ve gone through CS or even normal delivery know that the last thing you want is to be moving up 3 flights of stairs several times a day with fresh wounds from delivery.” The Homabay Women Representative said.
The Women Representative further said the female legislators would be visiting the hospital to demand action from the management on Saturday.
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