NAIROBI, Kenya — Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua has raised concerns over severe congestion in public health facilities across Kitui County, warning that overcrowded wards and patient bed sharing are compromising healthcare delivery and increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
The senator has petitioned the Senate Standing Committee on Health to investigate the state of public hospitals in the county and outline measures being taken to address the growing crisis.
Speaking in the Senate, Wambua said inadequate infrastructure, limited bed capacity, and strained health services have left many public health facilities struggling to accommodate patients, forcing some to share beds despite the associated health risks.
“Despite access to quality healthcare being a constitutional right, public health facilities across Kitui County continue to face severe congestion, leading to overcrowded wards and cases of bed sharing among patients due to inadequate infrastructure, limited bed capacity and strained health services,” Wambua said.
The lawmaker warned that the situation poses a significant threat to infection prevention and control, particularly at a time when health facilities are expected to maintain strict standards to curb the spread of communicable diseases.
He argued that overcrowding undermines patient safety, compromises quality of care, and places additional pressure on already overstretched healthcare workers.
Wambua has now tasked the Senate Health Committee to provide a comprehensive report on measures being implemented to strengthen infection prevention and control systems within health facilities across the county.
The committee, chaired by Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, is also expected to explain the level of funding allocated towards upgrading public health infrastructure in Kitui and provide timelines for ongoing and planned projects aimed at expanding capacity and improving service delivery.
The senator emphasized that without urgent investment in healthcare infrastructure, congestion levels could worsen, exposing patients and healthcare workers to heightened health risks.
The Senate inquiry is expected to shed light on the extent of the challenges facing Kitui’s healthcare system and assess whether sufficient resources have been committed to addressing the growing demand for medical services.
The matter comes amid broader national discussions on healthcare financing and service delivery as the government rolls out reforms under the Social Health Authority (SHA) framework aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Wambua maintained that improving healthcare infrastructure and patient welfare must remain a priority, arguing that quality healthcare is not a privilege but a constitutional right that every Kenyan deserves to enjoy.
